Somogyi_Laszlo_Civil_internaltak_megjelenitese

The Representation of Civilian Internees in the Hungarian Press Propaganda during the First World War

Abstract

At the outbreak of World War I, Hungary interned thousands of foreign nationals found within the state borders at the time of the declaration of war and deemed dangerous or suspect of espionage by the government. As evidenced by numerous newspaper articles, reports, and photographs published in the contemporary press, war propaganda quickly recognized the opportunity they presented. The study explores wartime press to reveal how civil internees were portrayed in Hungarian World War I propaganda. The research primarily involves prominent press outlets (including but not limited to Pesti Hírlap, Magyarország, Vasárnapi Újság
etc.), supplemented by local publications from towns such as Kecskemét, Vác, and Cegléd, where a larger number of internees resided in internment colonies or concentration camps. The study also covers articles in foreign (Austrian and French) newspapers related to Hungary, as well as Waldemar Hecker’s 1917 German film Die Marokko-Deutschen in der Gewalt der Franzosen, presenting internees in Hungary and Austria in a highly propagandistic manner.
The study focuses on understanding how civilian internees fit into the propaganda machinery, as well as on the communication tools employed by propaganda and the portrayal of the interned enemy foreigners. It demonstrates how the press attempted to influence readers by tendentiously depicting not only foreign internees in Hungary but also the fate of Hungarian (and Austrian) citizens interned abroad. Building on these aspects, the study analyses the tone of the contemporary press regarding the narrative about Hungarian internees abroad and foreign internees in Hungary – including their dehumanization – and how this narrative evolved in response to unfolding wartime events