AZ ERDÉLYI NÉMET KÉRDÉS ÉS JAKABFFY
Jakabffy and the problem of the Germans in Transylvania

Author(s): Barna Bodó
Subject(s): Essay|Book Review |Scientific Life
Published by: Scientia Kiadó
Keywords: Germans in Transylvania; Jakabffy; Saxons; Swabians;
Summary/Abstract: Minority politics can be considered a good one if it does not eliminate nationalcommunities but, on the contrary, it gives them a chance to endure. Any policy(national, state) that leads to the elimination of minorities or jeopardizestheir existence is unacceptable and must be rejected. Many questions can beformulated regarding the drastic numerical decrease of Germans in Romaniaand Central and Eastern Europe. Interestingly, the idea that a serious reason forthis phenomenon could be the offi cial minority policy of the states from whichGermanness disappeared or withdrew is not circulated at all. In the present study,we analyse the activity and works of Elemér Jakabffy regarding the Swabians andSaxons in Romania; we are looking for elements and causes evoked and analysedby him that led to the non-existence of real cooperation between TransylvanianHungarians and Germans in the interwar period, in a Romania where both ofthem were minority communities. Are the leaders of the German communityresponsible for the fact that after centuries of presence in Transylvania, theSaxons must be spoken of in the past tense? The current situation has beenreached despite the fact that today the importance of the Saxons. and Swabians’role in the modernization of local society is being recognized more and more.It must be admitted that the political-social elite of the two groups of Germansmade erroneous interpretations and wrong decisions regarding their future; forvarious reasons, they were not able to interpret social processes correctly, andthus this elite is also responsible for and has contributed to the current situation.

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