{"product_id":"2940012790408","title":"THE STRANGE STORY OF RAB R\u0026Aacute;BY","description":"PREFACE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTO JÓKAI'S \"RAB RÁBY,\" IN ENGLISH,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy Dr. Emil Reich.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \"Rab Ráby,\" the famous Hungarian novelist gives us, in a manner quite\u003cbr\u003ehis own, a picture of the \"old régime\" in Hungary in the times of\u003cbr\u003eEmperor Joseph II., 1780-1790. The novel, as to its plot and principal\u003cbr\u003epersons, is based on facts, and the then manners and institutions of\u003cbr\u003eHungary are faithfully reflected in the various scenes from private,\u003cbr\u003ejudicial, and political life as it developed under the erroneous policy\u003cbr\u003eof Joseph II.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBriefly speaking, \"Rab Ráby\" is the story of one of those frightful\u003cbr\u003emiscarriages of justice which at all times cropped up under the\u003cbr\u003einfluence of political motives. In our own time we have seen the Dreyfus\u003cbr\u003ecase, another instance of appalling injustice set in motion for\u003cbr\u003epolitical reasons. \"Rab Ráby\" is thus very likely to give the English\u003cbr\u003ereader a wrong idea of the backward and savage character of Hungarian\u003cbr\u003ecivilisation towards the end of the eighteenth century, unless he\u003cbr\u003ecarefully considers the peculiar circumstances of the case. I think I\u003cbr\u003ecan do the novel no better service than setting it in its right\u003cbr\u003ehistoric frame, which Jókai, writing as he did for Hungarians, did not\u003cbr\u003efeel induced to dwell upon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Hungarians, alone of all Continental nations, have a political\u003cbr\u003eConstitution of their own, the origin of which goes back to an age prior\u003cbr\u003eto Magna Charta in England. Outside Hungary, it is generally believed\u003cbr\u003ethat Hungary is a mere annex of \"Austria\"; and the average Englishman in\u003cbr\u003eparticular is much surprised to hear that \"Austria\" is considerably\u003cbr\u003esmaller than Hungary. In fact, \"Austria\" is merely a conventional\u003cbr\u003ephrase. There is no Austria, in technical language. What is\u003cbr\u003econventionally called Austria has in reality a much longer name by which\u003cbr\u003ealone it is technically recognised to exist. This name is, \"The\u003cbr\u003ecountries represented in the _Reichsrath_.\" On the other hand, there is,\u003cbr\u003econventionally and technically, a Hungary, which has no \"home-rule\"\u003cbr\u003ewhatever from Austria, any more than Australia has \"home-rule\" from\u003cbr\u003eEngland. In fact, Hungary is the equal partner of Austria; and no\u003cbr\u003eAustrian official whatever can officially perform the slightest function\u003cbr\u003ein Hungary. The person whom the people of \"Austria\" call \"Emperor,\" the\u003cbr\u003eHungarians accept only as their King. There is not even a common\u003cbr\u003ecitizenship between Hungarians and Austrians; and a Hungarian to be\u003cbr\u003efully recognised in Austria as, say a lawyer, must first acquire the\u003cbr\u003eAustrian rights of naturalisation, just as an Englishman would.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe preceding remarks will enable the reader to see clearly that Hungary\u003cbr\u003enever accepted, nor can ever accept Austrian rule in any shape\u003cbr\u003ewhatever; and that the entire business of political, judicial, and\u003cbr\u003eadministrative government in Hungary must legally be done by Hungarian\u003cbr\u003ecitizens only. The King alone happens to be an official in Austria as\u003cbr\u003ewell as in Hungary; but according to Hungarian constitutional law he\u003cbr\u003ecannot command, nor reform things in Hungary except with the formal\u003cbr\u003econsent of the Hungarian authorities, in Parliament and County. In\u003cbr\u003eAustria indeed, the \"Emperor\" was, previous to 1867, quite autocratic;\u003cbr\u003eand even at present he has a very large share of autocratic power.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, Emperor Joseph II. desired to melt down Hungarian and Austrian\u003cbr\u003emanners, laws, and institutions into one homogeneous mass of a\u003cbr\u003eGermanised body-politic. With this view he commanded the Hungarians to\u003cbr\u003epractically give up their own language, their ancient national\u003cbr\u003econstitution, and old County institutions, thinking as he did, that such\u003cbr\u003ean unification of the Austro-Hungarian peoples would make the Danubian\u003cbr\u003eMonarchy much more powerful and prosperous than it had ever been before.\u003cbr\u003eHe sincerely believed that his scheme of unification would greatly\u003cbr\u003ebenefit his peoples; nor did he doubt that they would readily obey his\u003cbr\u003ebehests to that effect.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHowever, the Emperor was quite mistaken as to the effect of his imperial\u003cbr\u003epolicy upon the Hungarians. Far from acquiescing in his plans, the\u003cbr\u003eHungarians at once showed fight in every possible form of passive\u003cbr\u003eresistance, rebellion, scorn, or threats. To them their Constitution\u003cbr\u003ewas, as it still is, dearer by far than all material prosperity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Emperor's ordinances were coolly shelved, not even read, and with a\u003cbr\u003efew exceptions, all his commands proved abortive. Many Hungarians\u003cbr\u003eadmitted then, as others do now, that Joseph's reforms were in more than\u003cbr\u003eone respect such as to benefit Hungary. Yet no Hungarian wanted to\u003cbr\u003epurchase these reforms at the expense of the hoary and holy Constitution\u003cbr\u003eof the country.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47145522528496,"sku":"2940012790408","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940012790408_p0.jpg?v=1763572782","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940012790408","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}