Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History (Nov 2021)
Regulation of the Citizenship of Ethnic Hungarians Living Abroad: Ethnopolitics, Demographical Issues and Humanitarian Aspects – Bilateral and Unilateral Solutions
Abstract
The history of the Hungarian citizenship regulations from the late 19th to the late 20th century concerning ethnic Hungarians living abroad is investigated asking the following question: Is Hungarian ancestry and usage of the mother tongue a link strong enough to warrant Hungarian citizenship? The answer to this question has changed over the years in accordance with the demographical and political situation. In 1879, when the first citizenship act was enacted, ethnic Hungarians constituted only a relative majority in Hungary. Since an increase in the ratio of ethnic Hungarians was a key goal, a new act was proclaimed, Act No. 4 of 1886 on the naturalisation of repatriated groups. The end of the First World War and the Peace Treaty of Trianon in 1920 resulted in a completely new situation: Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory, and the inhabitants of these territories, more than 3 million ethnic Hungarians among them, lost their Hungarian citizenship. The peace treaty had a profound impact on the definition of citizenship, thus corrective measures were needed. However, ethno-political considerations waned over the course of the following two decades. The next significant change happened in the years before the outbreak of the Second World War, when Hungary successfully revised the Trianon treaty and once again became a multi-ethnic state. Plans were made to settle ethnic Hungarians in Hungary, particularly the newly obtained territories with a mixed population. The situation after the Second World War resembled that following the First World War: repatriation measures were on the agenda. During the era of communism, the issues of ethnic Hungarians living abroad disappeared from the political agenda, and with it their citizenship. This changed with the democratic transition of Hungary 1989–1990. After both the unsuccessful referendum on 5 December 2004 and the 2010 Act regarding simplified naturalisation, the issue remains a matter of political discussion.
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