Az első világháború kérdése az unitárius egyházi sajtóban
First World War in the Unitarian Church Press

Summary/Abstract: The war discourse in the Unitarian church press shows clear signs of the two main reasons serving the justifi cation of WW I. It tried to show that the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy entered the war for all the right and just reasons since the crown prince and his wife were murdered. Picturing the Monarchy as a victim served the purpose of war mobilization, of raising the parishioners’ acceptance and patriotism.The justification discourse had two main constituents: the first interpreted the war as part of God’s plan and as the necessary tool of humanity’s ethical evolution.The second considered the war as a forced move and an answer to the provocation of, and danger to the nation (the nation in this context refers to all the Austro-Hungarian citizens). Both constituents supported the Monarchy starting the war as completely legal and legitimate.There was a minority who interpreted the war diff erently: they criticised the war’s capacity for diminishing human ethics and culture. Butthis third constituent agreed to seeing the war as an act of self-defence.From the beginning, the Unitarian press presented the gruesomeness of the war, although mostly as a stylistic tool, as a trope. But as the war went on, the cruelty crossed the line and the Unitarian press started to express a real longing for peace. Aft er 1916, when the Romanian army trespassed across the borders of the Monarchy, the citizens, including the Unitarian believers and clergy, experienced war first hand: war had an extremely negative eff ect on ethics and economic life. Considering the imagery of the enemy it can be stated that the Unitarian press – except for a few historical stereotypes – steered clear of xenophobic, provocative discourse.

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