Mniejszość węgierska jako czynnik destabilizujący porządek europejski

Hungarian minority as a factor destabilizing European order

Conflicts on national basis are a factor shaping mutual relations between subjects from international community circle. They have become the main driving force of political and social changes in a present power system.  The area of tension dominated by ethnic aspects is the Central-Eastern Europe.  One of the conflict phenomena is the situation of the Hungarian minority. The aim of this paper is to prove that despite the existence of European integration program the problem of Hungarian minority can be the source of civilisational dissention, especially in neigbouring countries.  The peculiarity of Hungarian minority is its size in relation to the inhabitants of the motherland. At present there are about 9.5 million of native inhabitants in Hungary. Outside the borders of the country, living in groups of diverse density, there are 4.5 million of Hungarians, which proportionally constitutes 43% of Hungary inhabitants. Proportions decide about the individual character of the minority. 34% of emigrants have settled in neighbouring countries, mainly Romania about 2 million, Slovakia - 600,000, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - 400,000 and Ukraine - 200.000 people.  The reasons for this should be sought in historic circumstances, triggered by the treaty signed in Trianon on 4th June, 1920. As a result of the treaty resolutions Hungary, belonging to the group of countries defeated in war, lost 2/3 of its territory to Romania (Transilvania and Banat), Serbia (Voyvodina) ans Czechoslovakia (the northern part of Hungary). People found themselves outside the borders of their motherland. Also waves of economic (between 1871 and 1913) and political (from 1841 to 1845, 1947 to 1948 and from 1956 to 1957) emigration as well as demographic crisis were especially loaded with consequences.  The core of Hungarian minority problem is its size as it is a rather densely populated compact area. All of the above mentioned can be used as an argument in favour of authonomy aiming actions that have been taken up. A minority of  such characteristic features is bound to determine the direction of Hungarian foreign and defence policy.  In the face of the actual situation of the minority there arises a problem of the basis for demands and for all the actions undertaken to achieve an independent entity status. A rule of self-determination can be employed here. It was recorded after the Second World War as a legal principle in Charter of the United Nations in art.1 point 2 and it has been a factor activizing states as far as foreign affairs and relations are concerned. It warrants aspirations and lights for national independence of social groups aiming at legal self-determination in international community. Self-determination as a normative term has evolved and still is subject to processes modifying a way of thinking because of its objective content.  After the Second World War the right for self-determination assumed an anticolonial character and was an ideological justification for postulates of eradication of politics and economy dominant position of great colonial powers. At that time the accepted interpretation in colonial terms allowed for further democratic changes and became a condition for progress as far as evolution of states was concerned. The 19605 brought a change in the shape of development of the range of the self-determination right, which was connected with aquiring a universal character and resigning from limiting the area of interests for colonial territories. The rule has gained a democratic apellation, justifying political regimes. A new aspect of the issue arised - self-determination as a basis for ethnic minorities demands in the sphere of authonomy and and self-governing in independent countries. In the 199os it was the source of ethnic intolerance, xenophobia and destructive tendencies. Such thinking may prove to be a basis of Hungarian minority actions or an argument in a international discussion over this problem.