THE FIRST CHANGE OF REGIME IN HUNGARIAN HISTORY
THE FIRST CHANGE OF REGIME IN HUNGARIAN HISTORY

Summary/Abstract: The fabric of history is almost seamless even though those who weave it may want it differently. Hitler proclaimed to lay the foundations of a new, a Third, Reich, one to last for a thousand years, but - though his actions affected the lives of countless millions all over the world - he built but a house of cards that stood only for a dozen of years. It was an event rather than an epoch in German history. The First, Second, and Third German Reichs - and I am ready to add to them the Federal German Republic - represent but a continuum of German history. The situation is not very dissimilar in neighboring France now living under her Fifth Republic. Years ago the billboards in the Paris Metro pasted there by the manufacturer of a wall-paint could justifiably declare that Les Républiques passent mais la peinture Soudée reste. Yes, the republics come and go, and to use again a French saying, plus cela change, plus c'est la même chose. In the course of history significant caesurae are few and rare between, and are seldom the works of any one individual.

• Details
• Contents