Hungary at the threshold of Europe. (The key is under the doormat)

The article argues that the centre-periphery relationship depends on historical circumstances and the extent of its effects is different in the military, political, and cultural subsystems. The changes in the geo-strategic position of Hungary in the last sixty years prove this argument. The author demonstrates this thesis on the history of Hungary between 1938 and 2004. He analyses each decade from the point of view of the relationship of the Hungarian political elites to the region's actual political centre as well as to the neighbouring countries. What were the goals of the political elite and how they wanted to accomplish those goals along the path they were forced to take by the historical conditions? What new possibilities and difficulties Hungary faces after the fundamental changes caused by joining the European Union?