Commentary: Transylvania: History and Reality by Milton G. Lehrer
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To gain a fundamental understanding of Eastern Europe and its history is an uphill battle. But, for me, a worthy one.
Not only is it difficult to find resources that focus on a specific nation or region's history and culture, but the resources you do find can at times be misleading, making it important to read not just one or two books on a people, but as many as you can find.
Why can resources on Eastern Europe be misleading?
The boundaries dictating the various nations that make up Eastern Europe have shifted so frequently that battling empires have at times re-written history to validate their reasons for occupying land. (America, of course, does this too.) To put it plainly, you must be on the lookout for propagandistic texts. Especially when dealing with territory that has been historically disputed for centuries.
A strip of land holds ancient memories for some and capital for others. One side claims the land is theirs because their people are indigenous to the area. But the other side claims the land is theirs because-- well-- they currently own it. To convince the rest of the world of their cause, both sides may produce materials that point to their rightful claim, but these materials may not always be accurate. And, as time goes by, as more and more materials pile up contributing to the narrative of that disputed land, it can be hard to discern who is right and who is wrong.
I can think of no better example of this than the story of Transylvania. And Milton Lehrer's text "Transylvania: History and Reality" makes potent the problems with researching this region.
To put it as briefly as I can, here is a snapshot of the history of Transylvania:
The land was historically inhabited by Romanians dating back centuries. Along with the Ottoman Empire, Hungary has intermittently occupied the region, oppressing the Romanian peasants who live there. Over the course of the centuries, Romania and Hungary fought over ownership of Transylvania. Today, it is a part of greater Romania, but for the larger majority of its history, Transylvania has been under Ottoman or Hungarian control.
Lehrer, in telling the story of Transylvania, in his passion for the Romanian cause, wrote what feels to be more like a well-crafted persuasive advertisement for the Romanian people than an academic study. Not that I am opposed to passion over academia/credentials, especially when it comes to histories about oppressed peoples/regions. But, frequently, Lehrer bordered on nationalistic propaganda. Meaning, he would set a characteristic for all Hungarian people based on their Magyar nationality. He did the same for the Romanian people as well. Painting Hungarians as entirely ugly while painting the Romanians as entirely beautiful is problematic. But here comes my conflict: The Hungarians don't necessarily have the best track record with honesty, especially when talking about or making decisions about minority ethnicities that live in their domains. In fact, reading about how the Hungarian ruling classes treated the Romanian peasants in Transylvania during occupation reminded me a great deal about how the United States government treats the Indigenous people of North America. Knowing what I already know about Hungarian history in this regard made me want to 100% side with Lehrer's interpretation and therefore the Romanian people.
But Lehrer forgot some important parts of Romanian history-- particularly how Romanians treat the Romani people.
Lehrer frequently compares the natures of the Hungarians versus the Romanians, stating more than once how good-natured the Romanians are, how level-headed, how just and honorable and peaceful, as opposed to the Magyar's greed, violence, and ill-repute. This kind of thinking totally ignores the history of the Romani people dwelling among Romanians both in Romania proper and in Transylvania itself. The Romanians subject(ed) the Romani people to centuries of violence and persecution, continuing into contemporary times. (If you would like to read more about this history, I STRONGLY recommend Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey by Isabel Fonseca.) While I am deeply pleased that Lehrer tackled Transylvanian history and championed the Romanians' right to live and thrive on the land, it is disturbing to read his assessments of the Romanian people at large, particularly his ignoring their own brand of oppressive violence.
Oppression, like many things, is a spectrum. There are a few people who exist at the extremes-- either free from any persecution or, on the other extreme, persecuted from every possible angle. But all too often we don't discuss the rest of the spectrum in the middle, where the relationships between oppressor and oppressed blur, become tangled, and, in their bewildering complexities, reveal a great deal about a society's true self. It is easy-- especially when attempting to make a case for one specific people-- to focus on the surface level of their immediate reality. But it is far more important to take the time and energy to delve deeper, into the tangle, where you can learn the whole truth. Eastern European histories don't often like to do this, because it gets in the way of nationalistic fervor. (American history doesn't like to do this either... Are you noticing a pattern here?) But, if you are like me and hope to get a firm grasp on this region of the world, then you have to be prepared to go deep, or else you may come out with a purely nationalistic version of the truth, which only tells part of the story.
Ultimately, this book was challenging to read. The first half contained useful information about Transylvanian history, but a majority of it was the same argument repeated over and over again to make the point that Romania should have ownership of Transylvania. I found myself skimming the last few chapters, rolling my eyes at the heavy-handed characterization of the Hungarian and Romanian people at large. But I am glad this book exists all the same. There aren't many books on Transylvanian history, so I'll take whatever I can. If you are like me and eager to learn about this region, then I can recommend reading the book. Just be very careful and guarded in your approach, and be sure to read other books about Hungary and Romania respectively.