Les reseaux franco-hongrois et la France, de 1896 a 1914: auxiliaires d'une decouverte ou marchands d'illusions?

Abstract

The article stresses the importance of networks in the shaping of French public opinion on Hungary. Three groups can be distinguished: professionals of "French-Hungarian friendship", Hungarian personalities involved in making Hungary popular in France, and "French friends of Hungary". In contrast to the common idea of a domination of Romanian or Slavic networks in France at the turn of the century, the analysis of events such as the Millenium Exposition of 1896 in Budapest, the Universal Exposition of 1900 in Paris, or more generally the international congresses flourishing all over Europe at this time, shows a significant increase of (most of time very positive) information transfers from Hungary to France. The specific task of French-Hungarian networks in this "Discovery of Hungary" was to link together Hungarian political illusions, such as defined by Istvan Bibo (Hungary as an independent nation-state on the French model) and their French counterparts (French as a universal model, especially for the small nations of East Central Europe struggling with German domination). The information transfers were controlled by a small group of "brokers". The internal and international crisis of 1905-1906 between Budapest and Vienna gave to the French-Hungarian networks a new importance. They used the hope of an alliance between Hungarians and Slaves against German influence to increase political and cultural contacts between France and Hungary. The real turning point is to be situated between 1908 and 1910: the new political course in Budapest led to both the bankruptcy of French political illusions and the division of French-Hungarian networks. Hardly concurrent "brokers" lost their influence, and French observers began to build their own information networks. For most of French observers, Hungary was not any more a modern, Francophile, but an archaic and hostile nation. The First World War confirmed the failure of French-Hungarian networks.