„Az állam maga a nemzet” - Kuncz Ignác nemzetállami koncepciója
“The state is the nation” – Ignác Kuncz’s Nation State Theory

Summary/Abstract: Ignác Kuncz (1841–1903) is a lesser known Hungarian philosopher of law, university professor and political philosopher who lived in the era of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. At first sight, his activity has been unfairly ignored as he comprehensively dealt with one of the most important political questions of the time: the theory of the nation state. His main work entitled Nemzetállam tankönyve (A Textbook of the Nation State) was published in 1903 in Kolozsvár. Yet Kuncz was not an adherent of nationalist ideas, his theory was based on an ethical conception of state. In his theoretical system he advocated that the state equaled the nation, but his concept of nation covered not a people but the ethical community of all the citizens. As opposed to the theory of popular sovereignty, he developed his peculiar theory of national sovereignty, which he consistently applied to the main elements of state organization. Ignác Kuncz's theoretical works remained mostly unnoticed not only by posterity but also among contemporaries. This may be attributable to his extremist idealism and inclination for moralizing: the overly theoretical character of his system made its practical application completely impossible. However, the indirect impact of his theories should not be underestimated: with his monumental works and his newspaper articles he took a stand in several important political debates of his time (official language, national minorities, election law, the emancipation of women, public administration), and this way provided a moral basis for the reigning political forces. The history of ideas has yet to provide a thorough examination of his works, but most probably we should regard him as a remarkable liberal political philosopher and a respected professor rather than a nationalist ideologist.

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