The
major features of modern democracy include:
Human Rights:
the rights and freedom to which every human being is entitled
individual freedom,
which entitles citizens to the liberty and responsibility of shaping their own
careers and conducting their own affairs; equality before the law; and universal
suffrage and education.
By the middle
of the 20th century, every independent country in the world, with only a few
exceptions, had a government that, in form if not in practice, embodied some of
the principles of democracy. Although the ideals of democracy have been widely
professed, the practice and fulfillment have been different in many countries.
We, Cristina and Fedo, have gone
through all kinds of research (the internet, press, books, archives) to provide
the historical facts and the information on current events. Our project focuses
on foreign relations, particularly Romania and Hungary. Hungary and our country
have experienced several problems over the years. The main cause of all the
conflicts is the fact that a part of Romania (Transylvania) had been under
Austro-Hungarian domination. We focused on a recent problem that has come up.
The ‘Statue of Liberty’ is now cause of tension between Bucharest (Romanian
capital) and Budapest (the Hungarian capital).
The statue
is the memorial to the martyred generals of the 1848-49 Hungarian war of
independence, who were executed in Arad. The
statue was unveiled on October 6, 1890 and stood in the center of Arad until
1923, when is was dismantled. Its pieces were first deposited at the
riding-hall, then in the Fortress of Arad. Due to the political situation
created after the suppression of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, the problem of
the statue was again removed from the
agenda.
(click on the picture to view a larger version of
it)
Recently,
the restored monument was proposed to be re-erected. It was discussed whether
the statue belongs or not to Arad’s history and if it should be re-erected or
not. It has grown from a dispute between the local political parties to a
dispute and tension between two countries.
In the process of preparing our
project for submission to Doors to Diplomacy we realized that the idea to bring
a contribution to the settling of a long and useless dispute is dear to us. As
Arad benefits from the presence of a numerous Hungarian minority, it was not
difficult for us to get in touch with their representatives. It was not
difficult either to ask for help from Hungary, from friends and relatives as
well as from partner schools in Hungary. We would like to acknowledge their
contribution and to show our special gratitude to the Romanian minority in
Hungary, whose support has been priceless.
The
path we chose led us to a better understanding of today’s issues, and gave us
the opportunity to speak freely and, perhaps, find a democratic solution to this
problem. On the site you will be able to find more about this issue - The
historical background, the current situation, what both sides say, and an
opportunity for visitors to state their opinions in order to reach a
conclusion, perhaps a democratic solution, to this problem.
We believe that by trying to involve
in our project all parties concerned we will succeed in our endeavor: to suggest
a solution to a sensitive diplomatic problem while being as objective and
impartial as possible.
(click on the picture to view a larger version of
it)