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1/1/1995 - History’s House of Mirrors by Chandler R. Rosenberger

NOT FOR PUBLICATION CRR WITHOUTWRITER SCONSENT INSTITUTEOFCURRENTWORLDAFFAIRS History House Mirrors Chandler Rosenberger Peter B Martin ICWA Wheelock St Hanover N H 03755 Dear Peter History house mirrors Any citizen looks nation through events ghaped Every event terms before events acquire sgnificance howtheywerelaterreversedorrelived Itsfromth sreflectlonof reflections every national emerges Outsiders mlght dentRy grotesque lnaccurate unduly shaped fears another perversRy But there point saying story others every naton turns array sense present We should throwlng stones natlons obsessed thelr pasts We looking glass houses But because homes history designed For emerging nations Central Europe often warped pseudoscientific Marxism chauvanistic nationalism combination To understand forgive understand We newly liberated neighbors thatmuch Sadly West fallen short Neither prominent Communist paradigms those Francis Fukuyama andSamuelHuntington helpuscometogr pswRhthevirulenceor virtue nationalisms again bloom Fukuyama would haveus belleve nomatterwhatthelndgenouscultures llberal democracy eventually triumph every capital Huntington would capitals wrong sideofculturalfaultlines tocondemnthosenowstudyingtheirpasts CHANDLER ROSENBERGER John O Crane fellow Institute writing about thenew states Central Europe Since Institute Current World Affairs Crane Rogers Foundation provided fellowships enable outstanding young adults outside United States write about international areas issues Endowed bythelateCharlesR Crane theInstituteisalsosupportedbycontributionsfromlike mindedindividualsand foundations CRR repeating Can The Habsburg Legacy Central Europe Today Ausrian Hunga borders superimposed Fukuyama praise nations escaped their histories assume CZECH others REPUBLI eventually follow Or Huntington Vienna cultural fauIt1ines between AUSTRIA history saved YLVANIA damned The diversity T Venic region bedevils R OM writers Why tarest should states broken ERZE different INA W should BULGAF ethnically mixed Bosnia bloody while Solia other mixed regions southern Slovakia DONI Transylvania remain peaceful Why Bound Habsburg Empi should strong ruling party Czech Habsburg border longer betoon states Lands allow pluralism Territory under Hungarian while equally territory under Austrian white powerful machine Slovakia shuts Bo undar7 contemporary states newspapers To recognize differences among newly begin understandthem WecanagreewithFukuyamawhenhedescribes revolutions satisfying common demand recognRon dlgnlty But natlons recognize themselves We agree Huntington cultural divisions underneath multinational states collapsed But assume ancient ethnic hatreds unleashed Weoughtinsteadtolookwiththenewnationsastheybeginagain their pasts After these countries shaping their national identities today stuffofmanydifferent yesterdays If national identity seems warped paranoid resentful ought discernwhere array reflecti mirror cracked We might history really concern maybenotinawaywewouldexpect Foralthoughthedemagogues would deeply often first mirror eventssincethefallofCommunism thatisdistortingeverything reflects Nationalisms nationalism The New York Times sadly example Central Europe Review paper pages years countless descriptions ancient ethnic hatreds disputed borders beast called nationalism released since Berlin Wall Rereading their false predictions possible assumption governments agendas chart their futures Despite approaching hysteria revanchists running Budapest elections percent For every border contested former Yugoslavia there dozen Germany reclaimed Silesia Poland Vilnius happy Slovakia Hungary leave Sub Carpathian Ruthenia western Ukraine Assume instead there nationalisms picture clearer The Slovene nationalists rescued Ljubljana Zagreb suddenly appear saviors pluralistic culture rather fools began Yugoslavia collapse Czechs Slovaks elected blamed blamed rightword forthebreakdownofafederationinwhichtheycould longer But maybe there better Slovakstotakeresponsibilityfortheirowngovernmentthan todeny excuse their problems caused Czech imperialists Prague Not inevitable Ironically rebirth nationalism history brought better explained history ending those feared wrath For chaos Fukuyama might right For their nationalist rhetoric nearly every state former Soviet takes visit International Monetary Fund seriously arcane historical debate Nearly every government Baltic Aegean those former Communists least service market gospel And backward Central Asian regimes semblences elections The nationalisms abolished Fukuyama faith Western fulfilled Fukuyama writes markets liberal democracy satisfy human desires found nationalities Capitalism triumphs because human nnately acqustlve settle effic means produce wealth And nations Fukuyama wrltes share innate deslre recognlt their desire drves rebellions against authorRaranism Man deslre recognltlon thymos scerned ehind nventlon expans llberal democracy To understand historical force desire recognition Fukuyama writes reread Hegel It Hegel argued distinguishes himself animals being lvlng fight death dignity Men driven fight their freedom pursue mounta cllmbing soclal clmblng beyond survival recognized In Hegellan vslon fuedallsm collapsed because serfs willing their freeholdngs Llberal democracy ndvlduals demand respect another eventually coherent freedoms lndivldual undermine The thymot nature Fukuyama argues means soclet evolve toward lberal democracies Itsth scommonevolutiontowardlberaldemocracy isbrtng nghlstorytoanend Recognized SomethinginFukuyama sthesisringstrue TheCzechswhotookto streets November occasionally dreamt owning Mercedes But protests ignited rumors false turned student attending smaller rally hadbeenkilled Forty oneyearsofCommunistrulecouldnotwipe innate desire respect recognition thought action It Fukuyama slips language evolution order desire recognition universal drive fundamental appears The scientific analogy evolution cannot descrlbe movement toward hgher since naturalselection teleologicalexcept inthe loosest posslblesense Weliveonaplanetwthbothhigherandlowerlfe forms because natural selection condemns spedes hobbled fatal If stlngushng characteristic random product genes fatal nonetheless passed descendants Species evolve deadly dseas But evolve toward anything relatively better health Perhaps aware difference Fukuyama leans heavily concept thymos In order argue liberal democracy inevitably triumph everywhere thymos needs supranatlonal plcky Thymos nnate Fukuyama insists easlly frustrated anything short lberal democracy revolutions against shallow subst tutes If lberal democracy flourlshng everywhere writes either because refuse recognize similar apparently different cultures otlrSo Andyet inaworldofmorethan200 states howmanycouldwe truly liberal democratic How newly liberated Communlst states Although responsive stern IMF really stable nvestment opportun In governments change hands thout fraudorbloodshed NodoubtFu kuyamawasfightto stress Communlsm driven deslre recognltlon rather goods But thing recognlzed another wanttoberecognlzedasaperfectlyformed lastman M ghtpeople recognlzed somethlng example subjectsofavirulentlynationalist state Cultural fault lines Western writers I among tried demonstrate corrupt every electoral victory Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic In rerouted ballot papers counting stations manned opposition communal collectives dominated party In count province Kosovo inexplicably delayed three For almost decade Serbian television handmaiden But Milosevic manipulations minor changes cards voters regularly dealt For privations corruption regime inflicted Milosevic favored Serbia Fuk uyama cannot explain Milosevic success Nor explain Slovak prime minister Vladimir Meciar twice nation twice rewarded share Were Milosevic milder Slovak imitator exceptions couldperhapswaxeloquentaboutthe longterm ButfromFranjo Tudjman authoritlan regime Zagreb Georghe Funar corrupt council Transylvanian Cluj Central Europe littered liked despots Many electorates Central Europe recognized right But recognized blood brothers under threat Strong driving their nations rocks exception Such rulers How short becoming racists explain Central Europe failure become At first glance Samuel Huntington seems offer explanation Cultural faultlines deeper Iron Curtain emerging writes Soviet Empire dissolve Huntington distinguishes example between Western Slavic Orthodox civilizations And although article The Clash Civilizations primarily concerned coming conflicts between world major civilizations argues there smaller faultlines within If draws cultural faultlines Central Europe internal external borders former Habsburg Empire finds striking resemblences todayamongthe nationsonthesamesidesofthelines First outline Empire Europe until collapse The boundaries several World War II states entirely within world Czechoslovakia Austria Hungary As future nation states these countries would depend entirelyonHabsburgcultureand tradition forasenseofthemselves before F World War Even today young Czechs Slovaks grandparents remember under V It people still occasionally Stalinist Habsburg BetterFranzJosefthanJoseL ButtheterritoryoftheoldEmpireextendedbeyondthese states administrative districts small adjustments attached other capltals after In Western regions Duchy Mllan Trent southern Tirol Italy In south Slovene provlnces Carnlola Gorzla Croatlan terrltorles varlous status Bosnla Serblan Mllltary Front largely Hungarian Banat Yugoslavla In southeast Transylvan mixed ttungarian Romanlan Roman In northeast province Gallc tamongPoland CzechoslovakiaandtheSov etUnon A glance political tensions states today importance these lines faultlines political frustration It example coincidence separatist Northern League Italy should based Milan should spire overtly calls Central European political traits honest efficient state apparatus Slovenes Croats Transylvanian Hungarians quick suggest Catholicism cultivated under Habsburgs importantly their exposure Enlightenment universities ViennaandBudapest havegiventhemaculturalheritagethatmade under various Ottoman style governments Belgrade Bucharest unbearable Nor coincidence Ukrainian nationalist movement Rukh which insists Ukraine European nationandRussiaan Asiatic power should strongest Western cities Lviv governed Vienna There faultline within Habsburg Empire explains different political cultures nations enjoyed tutelage In Hungarian nationalists advantage Habsburg weakness pushed emperor Franz Josef divide realm bitter resentments It Budapest subsequent campaign Magyarization foreigners territories largely inhabited Slovaks Croats Romanians infected future national states foreign domination taste strong national leaders It annals history authoritarians Slovak leader Vladimir Meciar Croatian presldent FranioTudlmanandClul mayorand Romanian nationallst Georghe Funar their backing One mutual comprehension between Czechs Slovaks SlovenesandCroats toseehowdeepeventheempire slnternal ShouldtheWestevertaketheongoingrevolutions inCentralEurope seriously these cultural faultlines matter What northern Italy Slovena Czech Republic common All Catholic prosperous regions ruled Venna All launched earthquakes agalnst larger state Northern Italy beginnngn1981 Slovena n1988andtheCzechRepublicin1992 thenameofending polltlca lobfuscationandcorrupt subsldies poorer southern cousins It ncdentally Czech premier Vaclav Klaus 1ovak premier Mec first Czechoslovak state Until official lndependence Meclar pleaded hehad notwanted independent Slovakia WhatdoSlovakia CroatiaandTransylvaniaallhaveincommon All wereoncegovernedbyHungarians allarenowgovernedbynational authorltar varylng iustff external threat The politics ofall three dominated paranoia great extraord corrupt national heroes unchecked And Serb Romanla hopelessly Ottoman there preludlce Both Serblan presldent Mflosevic Romanlan president Ion Illescu regimes astonlsh brutal toward their rewarded reelectlon agaln One suspects national stories survival rellglously based thtevlng parastates helped Serbs orRomanlansloln themodernworld Ba Rouse Iirrors But really understand Central Europe today looking deeply history Has lifted ancient ethnic hatreds A Huntington approach Central Europe explains present terms offaultlines The longer stare distant Communist states sight their recent Communist recentpost Communist pasts First might assume Communism ethnichatreds OrdidtheCommunistsofCentralEuropeexploit tensions often communist leader In Czechoslovakia Communists nationalism defeat reform movement promising giving Slovaks state larger newly federalized totalitarian regime InYugoslavia MarshalTito played nationalLeaguesofCommunists another political first earning trust Croatians removing Serb secret police crushingtheCroatianCommunists fiveyearslaterwhentheypressed decentralization Romanian dictator Nicholae Ceaucescu vilified Hungarians asmuch ofhis heirs If anything Communism exacerbated nationalist problems Rather allow debate local individual solutions minority quest reglmes sucked questions natlonallty their creaking structures convenient settled secret And Communlsm built hatred capitalist West newly nations quickly thecr esofthe underdeveloped ntoanother thegroans oppressed Sayng collapse Communism releasednatlonallstdemonss kesaylng thatthe fallofCommunism hobbled Central European economles It existence Communlsm first place exacerbated economicproblems Given their inheritances poisoned regimes replaced Communist countries acquired themselves since Are plagued their distant pasts Or failuretoaddressquestionsofthelmmedatepast thathasmade stant appealing refuge Take agaln three groups Among political forceson lands governed Vienna distant barely issue In Northern Italy Northern League three party coalition watchdog threatening remove support Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconl ducked difficult possibly personal issues No state would better grounds worry about sovereignty thantheCzechRepublic lodgedasit isintheheadlockofanation Germany invaded within living memory voters AndyetfearofaGerman economicinvasion hasgivenno party political A larger proportion Slovenes worry about Italian Au strian capital perhaps because their nation small But victory neofascists neighboring Italy roused little nationalist sentiment No doubt Czech Slovene northern Italian leaders build tradition liberalism extending hundreds ofyears But importantly governments embraced liberalism arguing solving contemporaryproblems Further southeast situation bleaker Take regions populated Magyars dominated Hungary In Slovakia CroatiaandTransylvania demagogueshaveclung topower despite rampant malfeasance because exploit cultures paranoia In ruins their making deliverthunderingspeechesofethnichate Butnonecametopower ancient grievances alone Rather played fears culture coupled familiar rhetoric solidarlW hatred endemic Communism authoritarian Here liberalismha snotfailedonlybecauseof ancientethnichatreds because Communists actively sought defeat using language recent visions demons distant In southeast Milosevic lliescu sucessfully drawn national histories parastate worse crisis becomes higher their popularity national leaders No could argue Belgrade Bucharest hotbeds liberal thought But countries search deeper deeper ethnic roots grown failure contemporary problems Western journalists tended contemporary issues overwhelmed nations populaces seeking consolation esteem turned history search golden denied But neither Milosevic Iliescu designed disasterous politics around ancient ethnichatreds Bothhadcontemporary ifdevious politicalagendas found rhetoric useful pursuit their ultimate Both communist apparatchiks first nationalists second And represent communist machines first their nations second Correcting right mirror Since collapse Gzechoslovakia Yusoslavia revival nationalism Gentral Europe historyo reion received renewed artemion Wes For tragedies befallen Bosnians revived imeresr without fruits elsewhere Freed bogus Marxist myths about proletariat meciieval Slavs nationso Central Europe buildins however hesitantly kinds intellectualhomes inhistoryweintheWestenjoy How nations faltered along restore truth their warped historical senses themselves Accurate scholarship journalism certainly But looking flaws mirrors reflect nation sense itself assume cracks found distant Nations regions begun grapple damage their recent pasts blissfully concern about distant Admlttedly Czech Republlc Slovenla northern Italy hlstor vaults treasure But subiect search tours medieval hstory because addressed recently Open debate about thelr revolut onary hstories reassessment distant unnecessary Slovakia CroatiaandTransylvaniastartedin 1989withmuch treasure But began dwelling their image oppressed nations failed sometimes through fault oftheirown tosolvetheircontemporarycrises Partiallydownthe historical madness still glimmers sense Their ancient history settled addressed criseson theirown times InSerbiaandRomaniatheprospectsarefarbleaker Th eirhistorical legacies tales suflv crises tales bolster those leaderswhoseneptmanagementleadstomorecrisesandmore calls salvation One fears Romania smply damned generatlon In Serb seems wholesale reassessment recent crimes folly could happen without civil reconstruction trial Milosevic cronies But should appraisal place medieval history textbooks Withsomuchtragichistoryinthemaking itisclearthathistoryhas notended AllofthestatesofCentralEuropehavefreedthemselves moreorless fromorthodoxcommunism Butonlyafewhavechosen lberal democracy We cannot assume Fukuyama citizens demand recognition autonomous individuals ToomanySerbshavefreelychosencollecUvedrudgery Butneither exclus dlstant explanatlons contemporary ssues Every naton Central Europe horrors bother States ghosts immediate haunted dlstant ether It countries confronted legacy their lmmedate pasts honestly effect plagued dentty crises lustffcaton But their salvation honest assessmentofthepast fiveyears notofthepastfivehundred The belief Slovaks elect Vladimir Meciar triumph ofhope overexperience Oscar Wlldesky My address Bay State Road Apt Boston Mass 02215 Received Hanover