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The theoretical hypotheses, from Oswald Spengler (1918)" to János Gyurgyák
(2018)*°* were, of course, diverse. What the responses have in common, however,
is that the period of the Ancien Régime," which, in my view, was more like Eu¬
rope than the following little more than two centuries, is essentially marginally
discussed in the case studies. The European ideology has been presented in many
different ways, among which I want to highlight three major works (exhibition
catalogues and studies) which were written before the semblence of the reality, at
least conceptually,— brought about by the enlargement of the Common Market.**
Meanwhile, primarily historians, intellectual historians, and cultural historians
were well aware that the enlarged European Union was far from unified, not only
in the sense that the Central European region had a different history from the
more Western one, but also, and above all, in the sense that they interpreted this
history, their own traditions, differently and wished to preserve them differently.
And this defines their present-day European identity, with which they look at the
intellectuals of the 17th and 18th centuries. Political autonomy, even if in many
respects, especially economically, it can only be illusory, has produced a Eureka
experience for the people of this region. This feeling is not only driven by the indi¬
vidual ambitions of politicians, but also exists at a society level. The reasons behind
this can only be discovered and explained to the 21st century decision-makers
through serious and in-depth historical research. Significant conferences,*”” and
monumental volumes of studies“ were organised, but these also concentrated
their responses on the 19th and 20th centuries. Collected volumes, selected
thematically and written by experts from different regions of Europe on their
own histories, reveal much more about the Europe that once existed as consen¬
sus Europaeus. Thus, a volume on religious memorial sites is controversial in its
conception, ® or the one on the influence of Luther," but they are closer to the
picture of the historical reality of Central Europe that I, and perhaps many others,
have. Europe, I think, is rooted in the Middle Ages and the early modern period.
#3 SPENGLER 1918-1922, In Hungarian: SPENGLER °2011.
464 GyurcyAK 2018.
#5 "THE French Revolution, or rather the settlement of the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna,
could be the historical border of this period. In spiritual terms, however, and especially in terms of the
history of philosophy, it is a renunciation of the theory of the four empires (translatio imperii), the latter
being historically symbolised by the declaration of the German-Roman Emperor Francis II (1804) that
he had become Emperor of Austria. One of the best didactic summaries of these views to date is Lotz
1936. For a summary of recent literature, see NOTARI 2015, 92-104.
Ricci I. M.—Carassi—Cusanno, a cura di., Securitas.... 1996.; PLEssEN, hrsg., Idee Europa..., 2003.
P1JAUDIER-FAUCHEREAU, dir., L'Europe des esprits..., 2011.
#7 EBERHARD-LÜBKE, hrsg., Die Vielfalt Europas..., 2009., EBERHARD-LÜBKE, eds., The Plurality of Eu¬
rope..., 2010. I note: Nobody from Hungary was at this conference, 3% of the participants were from
Central Europe, so the “we will tell you how to understand it” effect is still alive today, because if one is
rich, they are also smart (Reb Tevye sings about it, “if I were a rich man...”).
FRANGOIS—SERRIER, sous la dir. de, Europa..., 2017.; FRANCOIS—SERRIER, eds., The European Way...,
2021.
ANACHRONISTICALLY brings together memorial sites with commemorative communities: BAHLCKE—
ROHDEWALD-WÜnscH, hrsg., Religiöse..., 2013.
#0 BAHLCKE-STÖRTKUHL-WEBER, hrsg., Der Luthereffekt..., 2017.
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