Géza Jeszenszky
Encyclopedia
Géza Jeszenszky is a Hungarian politician and associate professor, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and ambassador to the United States
. He is currently appointed ambassador of Hungary to Norway.
(now Turiec in (Slovakia
). His paternal grandfather was Géza Jeszenszky Sr., a lawyer who married Jolán Puchly, daughter of 1848 freedom fighter János Puchly. Their son was Zoltán Jeszenszky (1895–1986), a banker.
His maternal grandfather was János Miskolczy-Simon, who fought in World War I
and died near Lemberg
(now Lviv in Ukraine
) in 1914. He married Sarolta Kovács, a music teacher and pianist. Their daughter was Pálma Miskolczy-Simon (b. 1910), who inherited her mother's pianist vocation.
. For two years his entire class cohort was restricted from university admission because of a commemoration they held for the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He attended the Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Humanities between 1961 and 1966.
against Marxism
and the ruling Hungarian Socialist Worker's Party (MSZMP).
In 1987, he took part in the Lakitelek
Summit where he, along with many opposition politicians and white-collar workers, founded the Hungarian Democratic Forum
. He was the Chairman of the new party's Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1988 to 1990. The MDF won the first parliamentary elections in Hungary
, and Prime Minister József Antall
appointed his former pupil as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
During his tenure he had a significant role in solution of the Warsaw Pact
and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of the country. Hungary joined the Council of Europe
, the Visegrád Group
and the Central European Initiative
, and also became a party to the Association Agreement with the European Communities
. he begun efforts to incorporate the Euro-Atlantic structures, completed successfully (in 1999 and 2004).
In the 1994 election
he won a seat in the National Assembly
and together with the MDF was in the opposition benches. In 1995 he became president of the Hungarian Atlantic Council. From 1998 to 2002 he served a mission as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States.
In September 2002 he returned to work lecturer at the Budapest University of Economics and Public Administration. He taught as visiting professor in the College of Europe
in Natolin
and the Babeș-Bolyai University
in Cluj-Napoca
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is currently appointed ambassador of Hungary to Norway.
Family
Jeszenszky family is of noble origin from Túróc CountyTuriec
Turóc , , /comitatus Thurociensis) is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary...
(now Turiec in (Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
). His paternal grandfather was Géza Jeszenszky Sr., a lawyer who married Jolán Puchly, daughter of 1848 freedom fighter János Puchly. Their son was Zoltán Jeszenszky (1895–1986), a banker.
His maternal grandfather was János Miskolczy-Simon, who fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and died near Lemberg
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
(now Lviv in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) in 1914. He married Sarolta Kovács, a music teacher and pianist. Their daughter was Pálma Miskolczy-Simon (b. 1910), who inherited her mother's pianist vocation.
Education
Géza Jeszenszky finished his primary and secondary studies in Budapest. His class tutor and history teacher was József AntallJózsef Antall
József Antall was the first democratically-elected Prime Minister of Hungary after the fall of Communism , teacher, librarian, historian and political figure...
. For two years his entire class cohort was restricted from university admission because of a commemoration they held for the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He attended the Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Humanities between 1961 and 1966.
Political career
He took part in the 1956 Revolution at the age of 15, without weapon. As a professor, he often wrote articles in underground publicationsSamizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
against Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and the ruling Hungarian Socialist Worker's Party (MSZMP).
In 1987, he took part in the Lakitelek
Lakitelek
Lakitelek is a large village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 4613 people ....
Summit where he, along with many opposition politicians and white-collar workers, founded the Hungarian Democratic Forum
Hungarian Democratic Forum
The Hungarian Democratic Forum , abbreviated to MDF, was a centre-right political party in Hungary. It had a liberal conservative and Christian democratic ideology...
. He was the Chairman of the new party's Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1988 to 1990. The MDF won the first parliamentary elections in Hungary
Hungarian parliamentary election, 1990
The 1990 Hungarian general election, which took place on March 25 and April 8 of that year, was the first free election to be held in the country since 1945, and only the third honest election in the country's history...
, and Prime Minister József Antall
József Antall
József Antall was the first democratically-elected Prime Minister of Hungary after the fall of Communism , teacher, librarian, historian and political figure...
appointed his former pupil as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
During his tenure he had a significant role in solution of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of the country. Hungary joined the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
, the Visegrád Group
Visegrád Group
The Visegrád Group, also called the Visegrád Four or V4, is an alliance of four Central European states – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – for the purposes of cooperation and furthering their European integration...
and the Central European Initiative
Central European Initiative
The Central European Initiative is a forum of regional cooperation in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe, counting 18 member states. It was formed in Budapest in 1989.-History:...
, and also became a party to the Association Agreement with the European Communities
European Union Association Agreement
A European Union Association Agreement is a treaty between the European Union and a non-EU country that creates a framework for co-operation between them. Areas frequently covered by such agreements include the development of political, trade, social, cultural and security links...
. he begun efforts to incorporate the Euro-Atlantic structures, completed successfully (in 1999 and 2004).
In the 1994 election
Hungarian parliamentary election, 1994
The 1994 Hungarian general election was held in two round in May 1994. It saw the return to power of the Hungarian Socialist Party, the former Communist party, under the leadership of Gyula Horn, who became Prime Minister. The Socialist achieved a remarkable revival, winning an overall majority of...
he won a seat in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Hungary
The National Assembly or Diet is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter list members...
and together with the MDF was in the opposition benches. In 1995 he became president of the Hungarian Atlantic Council. From 1998 to 2002 he served a mission as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States.
In September 2002 he returned to work lecturer at the Budapest University of Economics and Public Administration. He taught as visiting professor in the College of Europe
College of Europe
The College of Europe is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies with the main campus in Bruges, Belgium...
in Natolin
Natolin
Natolin is a historic park and nature reserve on the southern edge of Warsaw, Poland. "Natolin" is also the name of a neighborhood located to the west of the park — a part of Warsaw's southernmost Ursynów district....
and the Babeș-Bolyai University
Babes-Bolyai University
The Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca is an university in Romania. With almost 50,000 students, the university offers 105 specialisations, of which there are 105 in Romanian, 67 in Hungarian, 17 in German, and 5 in English...
in Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
.
Works
- The Outlines of the History of International Relations in the 20th Century, Közgazdasági Továbbképző Intézet, Budapest, 1984.
- Az elveszett presztízs. Magyarország megítélésének megváltozása Nagy-Britanniában, 1894-1918, Magvető Kiadó, Budapest, 1986, ISBN 9631406539
- Az elveszett presztízs. Magyarország megítélésének megváltozása Nagy-Britanniában, 1894-1918, Magyar Szemle Alapítvány, Budapest, 1994, ISBN 9638517107
- The New (Post-Communist) Europe and Its Ethnic Problems, Kairosz, Budapest, 2005.
- A politikus Antall József – az európai úton. Tanulmányok, esszék, emlékezések a kortársaktól, (Szerk. Kapronczay Károllyal és Biernaczky Szilárddal), Mundus Magyar Egyetemi Kiadó, Budapest, 2006.