The history of legal education in Hungary during the First World War, with particular reference to the Franz Joseph University of Cluj-Napoca

Abstract

One of the primary tasks of the new governments after the wars is usually the organization of education, therefore it
is necessary to see, which the points are, where the First World War significantly affected the Franz Joseph University of Cluj-Napoca. During the war, they tried to keep the university alive in the same way as before, since sub auspiciis Regis initiations and professorial appointments took
place. In the meantime, the number of students decreased significantly, parallel to this, war-themed lectures began to be held, while the launch of the two new universities
(Bratislava, Debrecen) also ran into difficulties. A special case has appeared that could not only affect the jurists: the
case of missing diplomas, which is even more decisive in a wartime period, since the employment of civil servants with a degree in law was essential for the newly established governments in the coming consolidation period. Ceremonial inaugurations could also serve as pillars in the war-torn country, as they maintained the appearance of a peaceful state while the country was at war. A significant part of the newly initiated were war veterans, thus they
could set an example of patriotism for their peers present at the inauguration. Maintaining of the appearance of a
peace period referred to above was also the professor’s scientific lectures in Cluj-Napoca, which touched on war
topics one by one, but mostly from the university professors’ specialist approach.