Saxon People's Party (Hungary)

The Saxon People's Party (Hungarian: Szász Néppárt) was an ethnic-based political party in the territory of historical Hungary, Transylvania. Its members were Transylvanian Saxons.

From the beginning, the party split into two major factions. The "Greens," mainly young politicians and journalists educated in German universities, were always against the Hungarian government in the spirit of Pan-Germanism. On the other hand, the "Blacks," primarily representing the older generation of Saxon public figures, followed the path set by Friedrich Bömches and to some extent always supported the Hungarian government's policies.

The two factions finally parted ways on June 17, 1890, when the seven hundred attendees at the "Sachsentag" in Nagyszeben (now Sibiu) approved changes to the previous political direction, accepting dualism, the new nationality law, and the concept of a unified Hungarian nation-state. The "Black" members of the party then joined another party. The "Greens" did not follow them but did not abandon politics either; however, they did not form a new party.

Later, the "Green" Saxons unanimously supported the union of Transylvania with Romania, hoping for the creation of an autonomous or even independent Saxon territory. However, their calculations did not pan out; after the war, the Magyarization policy was replaced by an even more aggressive policy of Romanization.

Notes

• Transylvanian Lords at the End of the Tisza Era (1890–91) (I.),
• Transylvanian Saxons: without autonomy
• Silence in Brassó