Hungary and the Balkans in the 20th Century — From the Hungarian Perspective

The first part of the study reviews the debates about Hungary’s “Europeanness” and her place in Europe. It discusses Hungarian self-perceptions about history, socio-cultural character, and on whether the country is Central-European, East-European or South-East European. The second part summarizes the relationship between Hungary and the Balkans from 1918 until the Eastern enlargement of the EU, by focusing on aspects most important from the Hungarian perspective. These are the Hungarian-Yugoslavian (after 1991 Hungarian-Serbian), the Hungarian-Romanian relations and the question of minorities. Finally concludes by pointing to the present challenges in bilateral relations and underlines the perspectives opened by the euro-atlantic integration of the region