Remembering Freedom-Loving Hungarians of 1848

“Let there be peace, liberty, and concord,” read the Twelve Pointsof the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán began his annual March 15^th speech with this quote, delivered according to tradition from the steps of the National Museum in Budapest. And he concluded, referring to Hungary’s position in Europe, saying, “We are parts of Europe and, together with the other nations we would want to form its future.”
Like the other national revolutions in Europe of that time, the war for independence is still a defining experience for Hungarians today and, like the others, very much shapes the Hungarian perspective on the future. The values of the Twelve Points form the foundation of modern Hungary.

In preparation for the 167^th anniversary of March 15, 1848, members of the Hungarian EPP Group Delegation paid their respects to the heroes of the 1848 revolution and war for independence in front of the Petőfi Memorial in Strasbourg. As one of the ideological leaders of the brave revolutionaries, Sándor Petőfi also served in the army and disappeared in a battle against Russian troops allied with the Austrian Empire.
Though Austrian forces, together with their Russian allies, put down the revolution, the idea of a free, independent and prosperous Hungary was born. As a result, less than 20 years later, in 1867, Hungary and Austria negotiated the Compromise and the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary, ushering in what would become one of the most prosperous periods in the country’s history. The Dual Monarchy also served as an early predecessor of the European idea: nations living together in peace in a mutually beneficial economic and customs union.

“The bravery and determination of the March youth served as an example for future generations as well. So, revolutionaries of 1956, initiators of the 1989 democratization, were similarly young and freedom loving,” said Hungarian MEP Andrea Bocskor from Transcarpathia. She recalled that Hungarian communities in Ukraine preparing for the celebration of this national holiday of freedom, suffer along with their compatriots from the war and their own independence is still in question.