Auf den Spuren von Hans Benning in Siebenbürgen. Die deutsche Kriegspropaganda und die Reaktionen der ungarischen Regierung (1914-1916)
In the Footsteps of Hans Benning in Transylvania. German War Propaganda and the Reactions of the Hungarian Government (1914-1916)

Summary/Abstract: Before World War I Hans (Joseph) Benning and his family probably did not enjoy neither the attention of the Romanian authorities nor that of Germany’s diplomatic representatives in Bucharest. He must have been a stranger in the Romanian capital. The outbreak of WWI and the organization of German propaganda radically transformed his destiny. Founder of the newspaper “Ziua”, and recognized as loyal by German war propaganda, he was sent by Ludwig Roselius to Transylvania with the mission of convincing the Romanians in Hungary that the Hungarian government could oversee their fate better than any Romanian authorities. Once the Romanians reaffirmed their loyalty to the laws and authority of the government from Budapest, Romanian propaganda favorable to the Entente received a heavy blow. It demonstrated that “the fulfillment of the national ideal” did not arouse the same interest on both sides of the Carpathians. Reactions to the nationalist movement had thus subsided. Benning's activity in Transylvania did not enjoy the full support of the Hungarian Government and accusations began to arise. The Hungarian Government was unhappy with Benning's interference in its internal affairs. In response, the German consulate in Brasov supported the idea that the Hungarian government had always been informed of the contents of Benning's mission. The conflicting positions were maintained right up to the entry of Romania into the war, proofing once again the weakness in the German-Austro-Hungarian alliance.

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