Hungarian Conservative

‘We have come to learn that in Hungary there is some (healthy) debate about the balance between fighting for freedom and building for freedom. This debate should not be regarded as a choice between two mutually exclusive paths, but rather as a pursuit to balance two necessary components of the same struggle. What is so remarkable about this discussion from an Afrikaner perspective, is that it speaks directly to one of our main slogans: “veg en bou” (“fight and build”). When we say veg en bou, we mean that we have to fight against injustice in order to protect what is ours, but at the same time, we ought to develop our own institutions to strengthen our ability to take care of our communities.’

The Hungarian Science Festival has been organized since 2003, commemorating the fact that on 3 November 1825, István Széchenyi offered one year’s income from his estates to establish the Society of Scholars, which is considered the predecessor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA).

Gerő sees classical liberalism as the idea of a constitutionally limited state and individual liberties, based on natural law. According to Gerő, classical liberalism professes the principles of government being accountable to parliament, the separation of powers, and popular rule by suffrage. In that sense, Gerő sees the reform era of Hungary (1825–1848) as the beginning of the equality of civil rights.

In August 1837, Pest’s first permanent, Hungarian-language theatre opened at the Astoria, with the performance of Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty’s drama Árpád ébredése (The Awakening of Árpád)—this was the first period of the Pesti Magyar Theatre, which later became the National Theatre.

The kuruc-labanc dichotomy did not disappear during the early nineteenth century: it only assumed a different form and became stronger. During the Era of Reform, the kuruc sentiment was wedded to classical liberalism and liberal nationalism.

The kuruc-labanc dichotomy was transformed into a Hungarian version of ‘Court and Country party’ during the early modern age. This framework dominated Hungarian politics during most of the epoch, as well as in the nineteenth century.

Beside serving as chief engineer during the construction of the Chain Bridge, Clark was also involved in the building of the tunnel under the Buda Castle, and was also a board member of the company building the first Hungarian steamer ship. Other projects that Clark supervised include the construction of the mental health institute of Lipótmező and the roofs of the Dohány street synagogue.