Voices in Hungary are raging this summer over the battle for democracy and backsliding into communist tactics by Brussels and those allied with it. Back in June, Maria Schmidt, historian and advisor to Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, talked to Compact TV about such troubles hitting EU powerhouse and supposed leader Germany.
Schmidt oversees the House of Terror in Budapest, a museum dedicated to reminding people of the oppression of fascist and communist regimes in 20th-century Hungary and those who suffered under them.
On the program, she countered those who think Hungary must be brought into the mainstream or modern times, stating that Hungary’s historical self-determination is inalienable and the country does not need to be “taught” about its past.
“We are Hungarians. This is our country, our history. We do not want Germany to teach us lessons again and again,” Schmidt told viewers.
Recalling that she was one of the first Hungarian scholarship recipients of George Soros’s foundation in the 1980s, Schmidt said that at the time, she did not yet see the political weight of the support. It was only later that it became clear to her that Soros’ financial influence was almost entirely aimed at strengthening the post-communist and left-liberal elite, while excluding national, conservative voices.
“Soros spent more money on the press and culture at the time than the entire Hungarian state had at its disposal. This significantly distorted the public opinion,” she said.
According to Schmidt, the processing of Hungarian history was dominated by the communists and their successors for many decades, and the House of Terror Museum was the first institution to go against this: “We broke their monopoly over the past. That is why they attacked us so fiercely.”
In response to German criticism that National Socialism and Communism could not be put on the same level, Schmidt stated: “Our country was occupied twice: first by the Nazis, then by the Soviets. Both were totalitarian systems. It is our job to process this.”
Touching on cultural ideologies of today, she called the Pride marches cultural imperialism and rejected the participation of Western, especially American and German diplomats, in the marches.
“We don’t like Western ambassadors dictating how we should live. This is an old country with a great culture – we don’t ask for education.”
According to Schmidt, homosexuality has never been a topic in Hungarian society, and Western identity politics has remained foreign to Hungarian public life.
When asked by the reporter whether she did not find it problematic that she was on the same podium as Alice Weidel (AfD), the historian sharply criticized the concept of “kontaktschuld” (contact guilt) in Germany, stating that her real concerns lie elsewhere:
“I’m afraid of Germany. When the Chancellor talks about the army, we recall bad memories.”
Calling Viktor Orbán’s government stable and the corruption allegations hypocritical, Schmidt told viewers: “In Germany, they call it lobbying, here it’s corruption. But what about the Scholz ‘cum-ex’ (tax fraud) affair? Or the scandals of Ursula von der Leyen?”
Finally, regarding the future of Europe, the historian said that “the current elite of the Union is weak, unable to recognize the true interests of the continent.”
“We need a new elite. One that is capable of repositioning Europe with vision, a sense of reality and advocacy,” Schmidt said, adding that “Europe can only survive if its member states become stronger, represent their own interests, and seek a future together, but not above each other.”
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