The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

jobs for over 20. At the time of the 1910 census, there were 8,138 independent
tradesmen enumerated in the territory. 125 The previous list of the more
significant factories of Western Hungary stands as proof of the falsehood
trumpeted by Austrian historians, and their Hungarian followers, when they
state that, on January 1, 1922, an impoverished and backward Western
Hungarian territory was annexed to Austria, under the name of Burgenland.
The extent of the railway network in the intended zone of annexation was
somewhat more developed and denser than the overall average in Hungary.
Hungary’s stock of railway lines around WWI was similar to that of the rest of
the Monarchy, meaning Austria and Czech Bohemia and Moravia but
significantly ahead of Romania and Serbia. The distribution within the country
was, by and large, even, with the exception of northeastern Transylvania and
Sub-Carpathia, due to their sparse population and mountainous terrain. In
Trans-Danubia – the Austrian claimed zone is on its western edge – there were
8.9 kms. of rails per 100 km 2 in 1914 (this lagged only marginally behind the
area between the Danube and Tisza Rivers, with 9.2 kms. per 100 km 2 , railway
track per population was 12.8km / 10,000). This latter number was the highest
in all the various geographic areas of the Kingdom of Hungary. 126
We have not yet mentioned the advanced culture of the area, the first class
schools in Sopron, Szombathely, Kőszeg, Felsőőr and elsewhere. “It is
unarguable and statistically provable that Western Hungary is the part of the
country with the least number of illiterates. Several outstanding personages in
the sciences and arts were born in Western Hungary. The German population
always appreciated this privileged situation. Here, there never was any Pan-
Germanism, or other similar trend, but most of all, never any anti-Hungarian
movement. The population of this region with a German background has
always identified through the centuries with the ethnic Hungarians and in times
of danger, stood shoulder to shoulder risking life, fortune and blood for the
common homeland. Not to go back too far in time but during the 1848 Freedom
Uprising, not only did the Germans of Western Hungary but all the Germans of
the country, without exception, took up arms and fought against Austria
alongside the Hungarians in the fight for independence and freedom. Also, in a
political respect, this population identified with the Hungarians. In elections,
the majority of these districts elected representatives who were of Hungarian
national character.” 127
Subsequent to the collapse of the industries – wrote the authors of the
memorandum – the expected loss would be borne by commerce. The city of
Sopron and the Hungarian villages along the Southern Railway Corp. line all
lived almost entirely off the freight trade of grains, fruits and cattle to Austria.
125 A magyar béketárgyalások. Vol. II, 1921, p. 62.
126 Horváth, Ferenc: Magyarország vasútépítések 1900 és 1914 között [Hungarian
railway construction between 1900 and 1914]. In: Magyar vasúttörténet. Vol. 4, 1900 to
1914. Főszerk/ed.-in-chief: Kovács, László. Budapest, 1996, pp. 121–123.
127 A magyar béketárgyalások. Vol. I, p. 470.
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