The Treaty of Trianon

1. The Treaty of Trianon 1920 Treaty of Trianon Between the Allies and Hungary

2. Hungary’s Borders

3. Hungary in WWI During World War One, Hungary was joined with Austria and together they were allied with the Central Powers. During the war, Austria-Hungary eventually dropped out, leaving Germany to fend for herself and dishonoring the alliance made. The Allied Powers decided to dissolve Austria-Hungary to prevent German influence in the future. Because Austria-Hungary was extremely pro-Germany during the war, they needed to pay the consequences as Germany had.

4. Hungary The Allies issued the Treaty of Trianon to reprimand Hungary following the separation from Austria and the formation of a new Hungarian Empire. The Treaty was signed under protest on June 4th 1920 at the Grand Trianon Palace in Versailles, France. The Treaty of Trianon essentially removed the majority of Hungary’s rights to self-determination, and made it impossible for Hungary.

5. Consequences Within The Treaty The Treaty placed many limitations on Hungary when it was signed in 1920. Hungary’s territory was ruthlessly divided without regard to Hungary’s populations. They were deprived of access to the sea, and Hungary lost 72% of all its original territory. The Treaty placed the responsibility of restoring Italy onto Hungary. Charges against crimes and offences of Italian nationals by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy were to be annulled.

6. Impact on Hungarian Economy Hungary was the main supplier of wheat, rye, barley and other various goods in the empire, it produced 500% more agricultural goods than it needed for itself. The new borders cut off trade routes, which meant all the income from the agricultural produce was quelled. Unemployment levels were dangerously high, and industrial output dropped by 65%. With the creation of custom barriers and fragmented protective economies, the economic growth and outlook in the region sharply declined, which culminated in a deep recession,

7. Military Consequences After the war, the Hungarian navy, air force, and army was disbanded. The Hungarian army was to be restricted to 35,000 men and there was to be no conscription (compulsory enlistment for state service). Heavy artillery, tanks, and air force were prohibited to be maintained by Hungary. No railway would be built with more than one track due to the fact that railways at that time held a substantial strategic importance economically and militarily.

8. Croatia-Slavonia On October 29th 1918, the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia terminated its union with the Kingdom of Hungary. Following this separation, Croatia formed a State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs with other South Slavic formerly Austro-Hungarian Territories. 3.5% of the Hungarian population inhabited Croatia, which prior to the Treaty was joint with the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom, located to the south of Hungary. The prime religion in Croatia-Slavonia was Roman Catholic, followed by Serbian Orthodox. The Catholic Church followed a hierarchy within the Kingdom. Croatia-Slavonia benefitted economically from the split with Austria-Hungary, for they acquired more control and ability to establish a successful state, which also coincides with the self-determination movement in Europe at this time.

9. Romania Part of Transylvania south of the Mures river and west of the Sommes river came to be under the control of Romania due to a ceasefire agreement of Belgrade on November 13th 1918. On December 1st 1918, the National Assembly of Romanians in Transylvania declared union with the Kingdom of Romania. 31.6% of the Hungarian population was separated into Romania following the new borders from the Treaty. The territory of Transylvania given to Romania benefitted the economy and made it possible for Romania to incorporate self-determination into its rule.

10. Austria Following Austria’s separation from Hungary after WWI, both countries declared themselves republics. When the Austrian Republic came into existence, it was dramatically smaller than the Empire from which it had just separated from. It was a small region consisiting of around 7 million people, devastated by war and economically crippled. The break-up of the Empire deprived Autria of its major industrial regions, Bohemia and Morovia. The only realistic option remaining for the German speaking population was union with Germany, however this was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. It continued to be politically unstable.

11. Assessments of the Treaty of Trianon Members of Parliament and British representatives in the United Kingdom questioned whether the treaty was indeed just a treaty. David Lloyd George’s attitude towards the treaty was very significant, for he warned that the creation of large Hungarian irredentas constituted an apparent injustice that could create a very unstable situation, and he urged his counterparts of the Allied Supreme Council to study the peace terms with a view to making possible concessions to Hungary. However, his sympathy towards Hungary was disregarded. Clemenceau believed that because France had suffered greatly at the hands of Germany and her allies during WWI, that this was the time to strike back and completely cripple the former Central Powers. The French believed that the Central Powers should pay for the harm inflicted on France, and that a ruined France and un-invaded Germany was dangerous for it gave Germany control.

12. Assessments of the Treaty of Trianon(cont.) President Wilson’s Point X dealing with “Autonomy in Austria-Hungary” gave hope to Hungarian politicians for a preparation of a peace settlement that would preserve all or most of Hungary’s historic territories. Wilson’s view was that no group of people may be transferred from one state to another without being consulted. He said, “The proposal to dismember Hungary is absurd”. Although Wilson had a more humane point of view of the treaty, Clemenceau was quoted saying, “Is what Wilson proposes for Europe America’s business?”. Clemenceau became the main antagonist of Woodrow Wilson. Countries such as Romania and Croatia-Slavonia benefitted from this treaty, and their assessment was based mostly on the land they wished to receive, however the people displaced who were Hungarian citizens lost their citizenships and were very against the Treaty.

13. Personal Assessment of the Treaty of Trianon I believe that the Treaty of Trianon was too harsh overall. The Hungarian people who suffered due to this treaty were innocent people who should not have had to pay for the war any more than they already had. I believe it was a relatively good idea to forbid a union between Germany and Hungary because that union would have been dangerous and out of line with the given circumstances. It would also cause intense anger amongst the French, who suffered most during the war. It was understandable also that the Treaty of Trianon reduced the size of the Hungarian army to ensure that there would be no further attacks or revolts against the treaty.

14. Personal Assessment of the Treaty of Trianon (cont.) I think it was a bad idea to deprive Hungary of 72% of its territory, and to remove access to the sea. This impacted the economy drastically and I don’t think any country has the right to cause consequences this steep on any other country. I think it was also a bad idea to assign the duty to restore Italy unto Hungary. Italy was not extremely active and important following the war, nor in the war, for the main action of Italy was a change in alliance. Italy did not suffer greatly and were most likely able to restore themselves. This treaty did not solve the cause of WWI, nor was it a decent treaty to be made in my opinion. The reduction of borders were too drastic and detrimental. While it was smart to demolish ties between Hungary and Germany and create an assurance that they would not be in a place to fight back, it was wrong to remove so much of Hungary’s territory.

15. Sources Dawson, Bryan. “90th Anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon: A Hungarian Tragedy: American Hungarian Federation – Founded 1906.” The American Hungarian Federation – Founded 1906. 6 Mar. 2010. Web. 08 Jan. 2011. http://www.americanhungarianfederation.org/news_trianon_90Anniversary.htm. Jonas, Paul. “A Case Study on Trianon.” Corvinus Library – Hungarian History. Web.08 Jan. 2011. http://www.hungarian-history.hu/lib/tria/tria40.htm Kemp, Arthur. “The Doomed Empire – The Creation of Austria and Hungary.” March of the Titans. Oct. 2008. web. 08 Jan. 2011. http://www.white-history.com/hwr39ii.htm Of Trianon, Treaty. “Treaty of Trianon – World War 1 Document Archive.” Main Page – World War I Document Archive. Web. 08 Jan. 2011. http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Treaty_of_Trianon. Wikipedia. “Treaty of Trianon.” Emberjogiorseg. Nov. 2010. Web. 08 Jan. 2011. http://www.emberjogiorseg.hu/hungarian-lobby/2611-treaty-of-trianon.html.