Asszimiláció, sovinizmus és idegen hatások

Jenő Rákosi (1842–1929) was writer, translator, journalist and he took part in the political life as well. Although he had a German origin (his mother's native language was German), as the founded director of Népszínház (Folk Theatre) and the founded editor in chief and the owner of a nationwide daily (Budapest Hírlap) he became an important leader of the campaign (policy) of the Hungarian cultural assimilation and chauvinism. He wanted the members of the national minorities to become Hungarians partly because of that liberty and prosperity which should have characterized Hungary according to his purpose. It means that his political beliefs can be described as liberal and nationalist ones in the same time. His political aim was a kind of modernization (Westernization) of Hungary but in a Hungarian nationalistic manner. Partly this way of thinking caused that he denounced the modern Hungarian literature which followed the Western patterns: on one hand, he called in question its real Hungarian character, and on the other hand, he was afraid of the underdevelopment of the Hungarian culture. In the postwar period he remained liberal intellectual and can be typified by strong nationalism with ethnic character. Firstly, he was one of the most popular leaders of revisionist movement which opposed the Trianon Peace Treaty. On the second place, he criticized the new authoritarian political system, particularly the extremist movements and tendencies such as anti-Semitism. As a consequence of it he became popular person among his former political and cultural left-wing antagonists. To sum up, Jenő Rákosi was a contradictory personage and because of it his coherent biography or coherent narrative of his life-story would not be easy to prepare.