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Decline was the fundamental issue in Hungarian historiography and historical thinking between the two world wars. This article primarily analyses the views of historian Gyula Szekfű, the writers and essayists Dezső Szabó and László Németh, and those of philosophers Lajos Fülep and György Lukács. In this period, the so-called spiritual history (Geistesgeschichte) prevailed in Hungarian intellectual circles, in which the themes of decline and even fall were fundamental. Of the most important representatives of Geistesgeschichte, Spengler, Ortega, Huizinga, Croce and Maritain had significant influence on the authors mentioned above. Historians were ready to reject the ideas of these thinkers regarding the criticism of culture, and rather followed the power- and state-centred streams of Geistesgeschichte, conceived by Ranke, Troeltsch and Meinecke. At the same time it is also true that the decline and generation theory developed by the historian Gyula Szekfű (e.g., in his book Three Generations), is one of the most original interpretations of modern Hungarian history. It was shared by many Hungarian intellectuals of the period. Paradoxically, the theme of decline also appeared in the views of the so-called ‘Századok’ (Centuries) circle, mainly in the writings of the historians István Hajnal and István Szabó. They rather followed the social-history-oriented French Annales School, and even attempted to offer a solution to the problems of the so-called ‘third way’ alternative. Almost all of the above-mentioned concepts were tied in the later political discourse to the so-called right-wing tradition of Hungarian political–historical thinking, but the author also touches briefly upon the notion of decline in the leftist (Marxist) tradition of György Lukács, whose ideas had an impact on the beginnings of the Frankfurt School. The article also offers a brief overview of the main ideas of spiritual history/Geistesgeschichte, since the author suggests that this was a common feature in all the interpretations of decline in the period treated here. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article explores the art of Hungarian painter Sándor Bortnyik, focusing particularly on the period from 1918 to 1919 and the influence of the modernist MA ("Today" 1916-1925) group of avant-garde artists and intellectuals on his art. Topics considered include the political instability in Hungary during the period, Hungarian author and artist Lajos Kassák, anarchism and art, empathy, and energetics and modern art.

In the Early Republican period, Turkey developed relations with Hungary in several areas and in different levels in order to empower her international position, provide collaboration and accelerate her development. In the same period, the Turkish-Hungarian academic relations were also given mutual importance. An example that can be examined within this context emerged in July 1924, when a Hungarian committee of 29 people most of whom were university representatives visited Turkey. This study analyzes the familiarization trip of Hungarian professors to Turkey in 1924, which was one of the first relations of the Republican period and which contributed to the Turkish-Hungarian academic relations in this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a discussion on the representation of peasant life during the populist sociographic movement, a phase of sociological research in Hungary between 1933 and 1938. As sociographic research became a national activity, the author asserts, problems in the Hungarian nation were increasingly conceived of as societal. Particular attention is paid to the related research of Hungarian intellectuals Imre Kovács, Ferenc Erdei, and Gyula Illyés, especially to their treatment of the relations between German and Hungarian influences on society.

The article presents an investigation into the history of the predecessor of the journal "The Hungarian Quarterly," focusing on the events which led to its dissolution in 1943-1944. Discussion focuses on the relationship between the journal and the military effort of Hungary during World War II. Accounts are given describing how the journal held editorial policies which ran counter to the national interests of the state during the conflict, particularly in its Western ideological views. Details are also provided outlining the publication of a companion volume to the journal in 1943, highlighting its nationalistic contents.

The article presents an examination into the theological relations between Protestantism and the Catholicism during the inter-war period of Hungarian history. The work of Hungarian Calvinist theologian László Ravasz is reviewed within this paradigm as a case study and example of the larger trends of his society. The conflicted dialectic of conservative nostalgia and liberal utopianism within the theological circles of the period is highlighted. Also discussed is the larger conflict of secularism and Christian teaching regardless of denominational perspective.

The article discusses the early history of the literary journal "Hungarian Quarterly." It describes the social and political context of pre-World War II Hungary, the political work of prime minister Count István Bethlen and his establishment of the journal for propaganda purposes, and the founding of The Society of The Hungarian Quarterly." The relationship between the journal and the shaping of political, cultural, and social views of the Hungarian and Romanian elite is discussed, along with the effect of World War II and the German invasion of Hungary on the purpose of the journal.

The article discusses the work of early 20th-century Hungarian historian Szekfű Gyula from the mid-1930s through the mid-1940s, especially his 1947 book "Forradalom után" ("After the Revolution"). Szekfű's understanding of democracy in the book is discussed, including his positive view of the Soviet Union. His previous political essays are also discussed, including the collection "Valahol utat vesztettünk" ("We Have Lost Our Way Somewhere," 1942-1943) and "Három nemzedék" ("Three Generations," 1934).

The article discusses philosophy education in Hungary from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries, encompassing the periods of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy, the interwar and World War II periods, and the immediate postwar era. Teaching practices in state secondary schools are discussed, as are the intellectual influences on the curriculum and pedagogy of the time. Hungarian educational theorists discussed include Mor Kármán, Ágost Lubrich, Ödön Weszely, Gyula Komis, Lajos Prohászka, and others.