一百年后 匈牙利人仍然感到第一次世界大战的不公正

For Laszlo Petrik, any talk of the Treaty of Trianon stirs up strong feelings.

Petrik is an ethnic¹ Hungarian who lives on the Slovak side of the Danube River. His home in Hungary became part of what is now Slovakia because of the Treaty of Trianon, which was signed on June 4, 1920. The agreement led to changes in Europe's borders after World War I.

Some Hungarians look at the treaty as a national trauma² because it took away more than 60 percent of the country's territory. It left millions of ethnic Hungarians living in what is now Austria, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

"This is the greatest injustice³ ever," Petrik said. He spoke⁴ to the Reuters news agency in Sturovo near a bridge that connects the town with Esztergom in Hungary. The bridge was blown up in 1944 by German troops, but rebuilt years later, in 2001.

"Half of my relatives are over there (in Hungary), and even though we still have the European Union, there is still this division," Petrik said.

Today, ethnic Hungarians cross the bridge to visit stores or work in Hungary, and Hungarians like to make visits to Slovakia.

A nationwide study found that 85 percent of Hungarians believe Trianon was the greatest tragedy in Hungary's history. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences organized the survey.

In 2010, Prime Minister Viktor Orban established the June 4 anniversary as a "day of national unity⁵" as part of his efforts to bring back a sense of national pride.

Orban is a nationalist who has been in power for the past 10 years. He has won popularity at home by offering ethnic Hungarians in other countries citizenship⁶ and a right to vote in elections.

Orban has never suggested reuniting Hungary with its lost territories, and the country has friendly relations with its neighbors.

But problems sometimes arise, such as the recent decision by Ukraine to bar ethnic minorities from an education in their own languages. This greatly angered Ukraine's ethnic minorities.

On Thursday, Hungarian lawmakers debated a measure that calls on parliaments of Central European states to guarantee the right to national identity as a constitutional right.

Speaker Laszlo Kover said the struggle of ethnic Hungarians for this right was important because "all European nations will face a similar struggle for identity in the coming period."

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic spoke to ethnic Hungarians on Tuesday. He said that while history had changed national borders, it was time to look ahead.

"On the 100th anniversary of the Trianon Treaty I offer my hand to act together," he told a Hungarian language news website in Slovakia.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

stir up – v. to disarrange or to recall something

trauma – n. a bad psychological experience

pride – n. a feeling of accomplishment

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

3 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。