Language:
German
Year of publication:
2006
Titel der Quelle:
Zeitgeschichte
Angaben zur Quelle:
33,6 (2006) 303-317
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Historiography
Abstract:
The inital readiness of Hungarian officials to thematize the Holocaust in 1945-49 was marked by demonization of individual perpetrators, a tendency to rehabilitate the Horthy regime, and idealization of the Hungarian people. Popular views, on the other hand, contained antisemitic elements and emphasized the people's role as victim. With the introduction of communism in 1949, the subject of the Holocaust became taboo and the word "Jew" was banned from public discourse. The Jews also participated in silencing discourse on their fate. The year 1989 was accompanied by a surge of antisemitism, but Holocaust survivors also began to testify. The Holocaust remained, however, of secondary importance for a nation busy dealing with the repercussions of the communist and Nazi dictatorships. Argues that this priority is reflected in the conception of the House of Terror, a museum established in 2002 in Budapest to commemorate the victims of the two dictatorships. The Holocaust Documentation Center, established in Budapest around the same time, is dedicated only to the Jews, but fails to relate to their situation today. Concludes that Hungary's self-image as a victim of persecution throughout history makes it difficult to acknowledge its share in the Holocaust.
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