Modernism: The Creation of Nation-States

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Modernism – The Creation of Nation-States Volume Three/1 D i s c o u r s e s o f C C o o l l l l e e c c t t i i v v e e I I d d e e n n t t i i t t y y i n C e n t r a l a n d S o u t h e a s t E u r o p e ( 1 7 7 0 1 9 4 5 ) Notwithstanding the advantages of physical power, the struggle for survival among societies is not merely a matter of serial armed clashes but of the nation’s spiritual resources that in the end always decide upon the victory. In Europe, there indeed exist independent countries, insignificant from the point of view of the entire civilization , and born by sheer coincidence , yet, this coincidence, this fancy, or diplomatic ploy that created them can just as easily bring them to an end—the nations that count in the political calculations are only the enlightened ones. Therefore, our nation should not merely grow in power, strengthen its character, and foster in people the feeling of love for homeland, but also—inasmuch as it is possible—breath the fresh breeze of humanity’s general progress, feed it to the nation, absorb its creative energy. Until now, we have trusted and lived only in the weary conditions, conditions devoid of health-giving elements —now, as a result the nation’s heart beats too slowly and its mind works too tediously. We ought to open our windows to Europe, to the wind of continental change and allow it to air our sultry home, since as not all health comes from the inside, not all disease comes from the outside. Aleksander Świȩtochowski, 1882 Cover design by Péter Tóth Edited by Ahmet Ersoy, Maciej Górny and Vangelis Kechriotis Texts and Commentaries D i s c o u r s e s o f C C o o l l l l e e c c t t i i v v e e I I d d e e n n t t i i t t y y i n C e n t r a l a n d S o u t h e a s t E u r o p e ( 1 7 7 0 - 1 9 4 5 ) Modernism – The Creation of Nation-States Volume Three/1 ABOUT THE EDITORS Ahmet Ersoy is Assistant Professor at the Department of History, Boǧaziçi University , Istanbul Maciej Górny is Research Fellow at the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and Centre for Historical Research in Berlin Vangelis Kechriotis is Assistant Professor at the Department of History, Boǧaziçi University, Istanbul CONTENTS Introduction by Maria Todorova Texts by Frantis šek Palacký, Adolf Fischhof, Jan Palárik, József Eötvös, Franjo Rački, Lovro Toman, Ferenc Deák, Aleksander Świe ˛tochowski, Mehmed-beg Kapetanović Ljubušak, Aleksa Šantić, Karl Renner, Ziya Gökalp, Draga Dejanović, Kalliroi Parren, Maria Dule ˛bianka, Pera Todorović, Stjepan Radić, Josip Vilfan, Alexandros Papanastasiou, Faik Konitza, Halide Edib, Edvard Beneš, Tomáš G. Masaryk, Heinrich Friedjung, Yusuf Akçura, Jovan Cvijić, Ismail Qemali, Ivan Cankar, Frano Supilo, Eleftherios Venizelos, Anton Strashimirov , Ján Lajčiak, István Bibó, Aurel C. Popovici, Oszkár Jászi, Prince Sabahaddin, Georgios Boussios, Anton Melik, Dimitar Mihalchev, Józef Pilsudski, Michal Römer, Milan Hodža, Hristo Botev, Svetozar Marković, Bohumír Šmeral, Constantin Dobrogeanu -Gherea, August Cesarec, Otto Bauer, Abraham Benaroya, Attila József, Michal Chorváth, Nazım Hikmet, Josip Broz Tito This is the first part of the third volume of the four-volume series, a daring project of CEU Press, presenting the most important texts that triggered and shaped the processes of nation-building in the many countries of Central and Southeast Europe. This volume presents and illustrates the development of the ideologies of nation states, the “modern” successors of former empires. The fifty-nine texts from a dozen of East-European countries include manifestos, articles, poems or extracts from lengthy studies, written between the 1860s and the early 1940s. They exemplify the role of modernist ideological frameworks, from liberalism to socialism, in the fundamental reconfiguration of the political system in this part of Europe. It also gives a panorama of the...