The Butcher and the Poet
In March 1848 a poet in a Hungarian coffee shop set off a revolution that is still being used by Viktor Orban in speeches today - Misha Glenny finds out why
"Brussels is abusing its power," said Victor Orban, "just as Vienna once did." The date, March 15 2025 - this year - but the reference was to March 1848 when Hungary rose up against its Austrian overlords, a great moment for many Hungarians today. Misha Glenny and producer Miles Warde were in Budapest when Viktor Orban made his speech, looking for the source of that revolution, who turned out to be a poet, Sandor Petofi. So is Viktor Orban right to draw parallels between then and now, or is he using history as a political tool?
With contributions from Paul Lendvai, Andras Gero, Viktor Sebesteyen, Kamilla Marosi and Krisztina Rohaly, a school teacher in Budapest.
Further reading:
The Hungarians: A Thousands Years of Victory in Defeat by Paul Lendvai
Under The Frog and How to Rule the World by Tibor Fischer
Budapest: Between East and West by Victor Sebestyen
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