Typical cliches Sgork Labancok Schwager Sissi movies before
Typical cliches • • • „Sógorék“ – „Labancok“ – „Schwager“ Sissi movies before WWI Paprika Shopping Dentists Cheap cigarettes
The Austrian perception of Hungary and its political actions in the 21 st century – a vision for cultural awareness and political communication • Short overview in both countries history • Present diplomatic, economic and societal discourse • Current political climate on a European scale
History • Dichotomy since the 10 th century – Expansion of Hungary against Holy Roman Empire • 1526 -1541 -1686 – Turkish invasions – Hungary fell apart – Direct Habsburg influence began • 1848: fight for independece from Habsburg, unsuccessful • 1867: Compromise between Habsburg & Hungarian crown • 1914: „The unwanted war“ – WWI • 1920 - 1945: WWII & Consequences, different dealings • 1956: Hungarian revolution against Sovjet Empire – Austrian empathy and help • 1989: Cutting through the Iron Curtain by Mock, ÖVP & Horn, MSZ(M)P
Present discourse After 1989: • Fall of the Iron Curtain • System change without change of establishment • Free market democracy • Austria and other western countries started investing in Hungary by buying former state owned companies, modernising them and closing lots of them => creating jobs and GDP growth – mostly based on cheap export – huge profit • Hungary wanted freedom of choice and „living like the others in the West“ • Politically distancing itself from Russia and joining EU and NATO made Hungary geopolitically dependent, but in lighter ways it seemed.
Present discourse • All what happens now between Austria and Hungary was coded in the EU agreement • Everyone is equal as marketplayer, but the circumstances are highly different => EU structural funds were created • BUT: There comes a time, where a transition country realizes, that nothing is in ist own hand. Others decide what is apropriate. The change of thought happenned in 2010 • There were and still are a lot of mistakes and misunderstandings made on Hungarian side (Spengler), but the trigger for all that was that Hungary was not able to take things into ist own hands: a valve of frustration opened
Present discourse • Land & Real Estate Law • Bank tax / foreign currency loans All these laws and taxes were against Austrian interests, but part of Hungary´s struggle to get rid of dependencies.
Present discourse • „Hungary bashing“ – As result of not understanding the political processes in Hungary – Every major newspaper like „Der Standard“, „Die Presse“, „Kronen Zeitung“ and „Wiener Zeitung“ started to criticise the government for not being democratic and not being european – Mostly not fact based – Incoherent an inadequately copied from each other – Most of the laws implemented were on the basis of already existing laws in the EU
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