Hungary desperately tries to preserve itself by exiting the Empire at the end of World War I. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your fist sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
The Central Powers were really suffering greatly fighting world war I. The expense and demands logistically of supporting large conscript armies fighting multi front wars was quickly impoverishing Hungary. One can sense the weariness on the stamp and the poor quality of the printing adds to the effect. Perhaps not what the issuer intended but the reality shows through.
The stamp today is issue A9, a 10 filler stamp issued by the Kingdom of Hungary in 1916. It displayed a soldier in a trench. It was part of a 19 stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog the stamp is worth 25 cents used.
Hungary had been part of the Austria Hungary Empire since 1867 in which there were two realms under one monarch. During the period there were failed attempts at Germanifacation that tried to take advantage of the many ethnicities contained in the empire. World War I saw disaster by siding with the Central Powers. Serbia was conquered and some success was achieved against Russia but there was also endless fighting with Romania and Italy. Hungary sent 4 million conscripts off to fight.
At the end of October 1918 there was an Aster revolution where soldiers had a coup. They wore aster flowers to demonstrate peace and the King accepted the coup. The association with Austria was ended and the King gave up power but did not technically abdicate, Count Karolyi was named president. His goal was to create an Eastern Switzerland and disbanded the army. He tried to attract ethnic minorities to be loyal to Hungary by offering self rule but was unsuccessful. He also tried to redistribute land to the peasants but the only actual transfer was of his families own land.
Getting rid of the army proved a huge blunder. New country Czechoslovakia attacked as did Romania. The French decided that since Hungary was now independent that the peace treaty signed with Austria did not apply to Hungary. New territorial demands were made and President Karolyi some think foolishly agreed to them.
Six months later Karolyi was deposed by communists who declared a Soviet People’s Republic and sent Karolyi into exile in France. The Communists had the only armed force and it was implied that the were backed by the Soviet Red Army. These brand of Communists also only lasted about six months and soon Hungary was a much smaller kingdom again.
Karolyi’s reputation was somewhat rehabilitated under the post World War II communist regime, and indeed the former Count/President served the new regime as ambassador to France in the late 40s. His reputation has dropped again since communism fell in Hungary with his statue removed and his name removed from several streets. His rule was short and disastrous but his intentions were good. For that I think the statue should have remained just being sure the full story is told.
Well my drink is empty so I will pour another and raise it to the end of the war and the Switzerland of the East. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.