Apáthy István – a magyar életbúvár sorstragédiája
István Apáthy – The Tragic Fate of the Hungarian Natural Scientist

Summary/Abstract: Born in Budapest, István Apáthy was one of the leading figures of the Transylvanian Hungarian political elite at the turn of the century. He engaged in debates on nationalities, agrarian issues, and electoral rights, representing the opposition to the 1848 independence goals, advocating for Hungarianization proposals put forward by regionalist nation-building elites, and supporting the expansion of suffrage. Some of Apáthy’s political goals were realized, but only after a lost war for Hungary, which radically changed the framework for political activities that had existed before 1918. The worldview that had supported the societal, economic, and political system – founded on the unique blend of “great statehood” and national sovereignty – collapsed with the fall of dualism. Meanwhile, Apáthy was also a world-renowned natural scientist, one of the founders of neurobiology in Hungary, and was appointed rector of the University of Cluj in 1903. This paper discusses the tragic fate of István Apáthy, the natural scientist.

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