Sources to the history of national minority teacher trials in Hungary in the beginning of the 20th century

Our source publication presents the papers on the disciplinary proceedings imposed on evangelical teacher of Vázsec (Liptó County) András Paszternák. The process was one of the teachers lawsuits ordered in Liptó County in 1908 and 1909 because of the disciplinary offence defined in §22. of Act XXVII of 1907. The documents published here open up the process of a trial, in the course of which we can witness the fight stemming from the conflicts of interest between the major ecclesiastical authority and the secular power. The superintendent and the public administration committee – in the role of the supreme state authority responsible for local inspection – reacts offensively, while the evangelical church and the teacher takes the defensive role, even if the church stands not that much for the teacher, but for its own autonomy going back several centuries. The church calls the witness of the defence to take a stand in the best interests of the church; arguments based on reality and logic are listed by the accused teacher himself. Nevertheless, the trial ends in victory of the state, indicating that the processes launched within a very short time compared to the conditions defined by the law, just in nine months after entering into force, rather serve the purpose of demonstrating the rigor of the law than its consistent enforcement.

Anikó Antalicz            371(439)(091)

Sources to the history of national minority teacher trials in Hungary    37.014(439)”1907”

in the beginning of the 20th century         94(439)

Keywords: Lex Apponyi. Vázsec. Slovak evangelical elementary school. Requirement of the Hungarian language command. Conviction of teacher András Paszternák.