Francais! Voudriaz-vous signer cette paix? [Frenchmen! Would you accept this peace?]
- Title:
- Francais! Voudriaz-vous signer cette paix? [Frenchmen! Would you accept this peace?]
- Alternate Title:
- Francais! Voudriaz-vous signer cette paix?
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Magyar Nemzeti Szovetseg [Hungarian National Alliance]
- Date:
- 1920
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2471.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2471_01.jpg
- Measurement:
- 14 x 9 card (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- Apart from Hungarians, few people today are familiar with the Treaty of Trianon. Not so the Hungarians and their descendants around the world. Signed in June 1920, the treaty was one of the documents formally ending World War I, and it dramatically dismembered the pre-war Kingdom of Hungary. Among Hungarians, it is widely known to this day as a "tragedy," the "Trianon Trauma," an "open wound" deep in the nation's culture. The great majority of Hungary was forcibly ceded to other states, primarily to Romania, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Yugoslavia. The nation lost two-thirds of its territory, more than half its population, half its largest cities, much of its important raw materials, infrastructure, manufacturing and commercial capability. A significant percentage of ethnic Hungarians remained outside the border of the reduced state, and large numbers of ethnic minorities were within. "Hungarians have bristled with resentment ever since." Traub 2015; Sandford 2020; http://americanhungarianfederation.org/news_trianon.htm, accessed May 11, 2022.
As part of the protest against the Treaty, various Hungarian organizations published graphic images of its impact, including two black and white postcards in the collection with the same format. "Citizens of the U.S.A. - Would You Accept This Peace?" (ID #1210) presents a map of the U.S. being reduced in size by about two-thirds, with portions designated to go to Great Britain, Japan, Mexico and, in the southeast, "Indep. Nigger State"! Below it is a map showing the comparable dismemberment of Hungary. "Francais! Voudriaz-vous signer cette paix?" (ID #2471) shows France being reduced in size by about one-half, with portions of its territory designated to go to Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Again, the map below shows the comparable dismemberment of Hungary. A similar version was produced for Belgian citizens.
One of the most striking protest maps is a color postcard of the pre-war nation, "Hungaria 896-1918" (ID #2524.01). Text on the card explains (in English, French, Italian, and German) that "The Treaty of Trianon gave" various percentages of the country to Romania, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Yugoslavia. At the left of the card is a wheel that activates a volvelle; as it is turned, the four dismembered parts move away from the remaining territory, dramatically illustrating the impact of the Treaty (ID #2524.02). This map was published by Gusztav Emich for the Hungarian Women's National Association, a conservative Christian-nationalist umbrella organization.
For another map protesting the consequences of the Treaty ten years later, the vast military imbalance between the weakened Hungarian state and its neighbors, see "Magyarország és a szomszédos államok felfegyverkezésének aránya [The ratio of armaments of Hungary and neighboring states]" (1931) (ID #2547).EDzananovic@danielboulud.com
Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University. - Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.