Though
the flagmen are gone, the flag remains… In the Battle of Mohacs,
where Louis II, the King of Bohemia, Hungary and Croatia from the
Jagiellonian family ended his earthly life, these flags with the
national coats of arms of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Kingom,
Roman-German Empire and Croatia were together for the last time.
(Screenshot
from the YouTube video: Battle of Mohács 1526)
Once
they formed the mighty, libertarian league of nations with
Polish-Hungarian kings at the head. The mild, skillful,
and just leadership style of the noble kings ensured self-government
and prosperity for all their subjects. So they were the bastion of
Europe! One day the young king died in the fight against the invaders
from Asia.
His
subjects then suffered under the yoke of the four partition powers.
For centuries! This preface is essential to understand today's
political positions in Slovakia and Eastern Europe.
The
Battle of Mohács was one of the most important in world history. The
Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian commonwealth did not help its
friends with all its power.
The
Poles
paid for that with the loss of their own great power position and the
end of independence. Then the Western
Slavs
were almost eradicated as a result of a crooked persecution and
prohibiting them from using their
native languages
by the partitioning powers.Despite of it they never lost their hope!
The
desperate attempts to free themselves by a victorious uprising led
only to new defeats: In the late 19th century, however, the National
movements could awaken the masses of the common people and this time
the long fight was won
Remarkably,
it was the moderate nationalists who very often recognized the
rights of minorities in the legislation, established bilingual
schools, etc. In the year 1920 the world saw the
resurrection of the eastern bastion of Europe, as the armies of
Poland, the Baltic States, Romania and Czechoslovakia repelled the
Bolshevik flood.
On
the other hand, some of them had to defend themselves with an unholy
alliance against the worst repression and the same danger again, as
was the case in Slovakia.
This was
not praiseworthy, but reasonable. Only Poland got caught up in
the two-front war and nearly bleed to death.
The
National movement activists were later exposed to the hardest and
longest persecutions throughout the Eastern bloc and almost wiped out
But
they were able to survive and to awaken the common people after the
fall of the Wall. So the history is repeating itself. Nowadays, as
Europe was brought on the brink of abyss, they try to forge its
eastern bastion once again. The national movement
activists in Slovakia and Hungary are much stronger than
in Poland. Radicalism seems to serve them well. Here we see the
strong Slovak national and the weak local so-called anti-fascist
movement on the streets: outrageous scandal scenes (in the 5th
minute) ...
The
Western Slavs are by no means xenophobic and even willing to form an
alliance with people of another race.
The
repeated betrayals of the West and the threat from Asia have shaped
Eastern Europe to this day
Thanks
to the heroic attitude
of the Western Slavs, the Hungarian people and Eastern Baltic Great
Lithuania peoples, including for the Ruthenians, who defended their
liberal-democratic order (the kings reigned there with the help of
the parliaments already in the 15th century), Western
Europe was able to sleep peacefully and conquer other continents.
The
wars between the Western European kings, even most civil wars looked
very different.
The
war prisoners were taken and care was taken to save the body and
property of the defenseless civilians as much as possible. The wars
were waged by professional soldiers, by high nobles who had to watch
their honor. A savage carnage of defeated counterpart was an
exception, not the common rule.
But
when the Turks or Tatars came, there was no mercy. Thus, in the case
of defeat, the
German infantry
hired by Polish and Hungarian kings stood on the battlefield right to
her last dying breath.
It
was not just the once world-famous German
loyalty.
It was simply much better to fall in battle than to die under
torture. The inhabitants
of the conquered city was very often slaughtered
or abducted into slavery.
Several
times the Western
European countries have
been asked
for help.
Almost every time they could only give empty
promises
and whole thing came to a very, very bad end! The Eastern Europeans
were encouraged to armed fight even if they could bargain a
cease-fire from the enemy, but later were sacrificed. Already in
1444 as
a result of such lazy policy, the 20-year-old King Vladislaus III. of
Poland and Hungary died at the Battle of Varna, abandoned by allies,
trying to liberate Bugaria.
The
symbolic memorial on the former battlefield of Varna; The national
emblems of Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria (CC B-Y 3.0, an image of
Matthae)
The
German leaders had been a little better in this regard. Sometimes
they abandoned their eastern neighbors, sometimes their help was of
decisive importance. Bismarck or Hitler, who did not understand that
Germany needs the Polish courage too, formed two only exceptions.
Logically, her policies ended badly for their own people.
We
are not stubborn fools of the old school: we draw the right lessons
from history
In
any case, as a result of such experiences, most Eastern Europeans no
longer believe in the empty
promises,
in the unworldly
ideologies,
in the brave
new world without any frontiers.
We are not racists but we are reasonable.
The
Vietnamese or Koreans who have become part of our society because
they behave properly are one of many examples.
The
goddess of history strides across the earth for a few years, not
slowly and thoughtfully, but storms away.
In
this situation we judge the Western Europeans, who still cast their
votes on the old parties, as victims of something which is attacking
theirs minds.
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