Between the two world wars .281918.E2.80.931941.29 History of Hungary

1 between 2 world wars (1918–1941)

1.1 hungarian people s republic
1.2 hungarian soviet republic ( republic of councils )
1.3 counterrevolution
1.4 trianon hungary , regency

between 2 world wars (1918–1941)

hungarian people s republic

in 1918, result of german defeat on western front in world war i, austro-hungarian monarchy collapsed. french entente troops landed in greece re-arm defeated countries of romania , serbia , provide military assistance newly formed country of czechoslovakia. despite general armistice agreement, balkan french army organized new campaigns against hungary of czechoslovak, romanian , serbian governments.

former prime minister istván tisza murdered in budapest gang of soldiers during aster revolution of october 1918. on 31 october 1918, success of aster revolution in budapest brought leftist liberal count mihály károlyi power prime minister. károlyi devotee of entente powers beginning of war. on 13 november 1918, charles surrendered powers king of hungary, however, did not abdicate, technicality made return throne possible.

a first hungarian republic, hungarian democratic republic, proclaimed on 16 november 1918 károlyi named president. károlyi tried build hungary eastern switzerland , persuade non-hungarian minorities (in particular, slovaks, romanians , ruthenians) stay loyal country, offering them autonomy. these efforts came late. in response woodrow wilson s conception of pacifism, károlyi ordered full disarmament of hungarian army, hungary remained without national defence @ time of particular vulnerability. surrounding countries not hesitant arm themselves.

on 5 november 1918, serbian army, french support, attacked southern parts of country. on 8 november, czechoslovak army attacked northern parts of hungary, , on 2 december, romanian army started attack eastern (transylvanian) parts of hungary. károlyi government made armed associations illegal, , introduced proposals defend integrity of country, failed reorganize armed forces during governance. these measures failed stem popular discontent, when entente powers began awarding pieces of hungary s traditional territories romania, yugoslavia, , czechoslovakia, giving priority ethno-linguistic criteria on historical ones. french , serbian forces occupied southern parts of hungary.

by february 1919, new hungarian government had lost popular support in view of failures on both domestic , military fronts. on 21 march 1919, after entente military representative demanded more , more territorial concessions hungary, károlyi signed concessions presented him , resigned.

hungarian soviet republic ( republic of councils )

the communist party of hungary, led béla kun, allied hungarian social democratic party, came power , proclaimed hungarian soviet republic. social democrat sándor garbai official head of government, soviet republic dominated de facto béla kun, in charge of foreign affairs. communists – reds – came power largely organized fighting force (no other major political entity had 1 of own), , promised hungary defend territory without conscription, possibly of soviet red army.

the red army of hungary small voluntary army of 53,000 men, , of soldiers armed factory workers budapest. initially, kun s regime achieved military successes: under command of genius strategist colonel aurél stromfeld, hungarian red army ousted czechoslovak troops north , planned march against romanian army in east. in terms of domestic policy, communist government nationalized industrial , commercial enterprises, socialized housing, transport, banking, medicine, cultural institutions, , landholdings of more 400,000 square meters.

the support of communists proved short-lived in budapest, however, , had never been popular in country towns , countryside. in aftermath of coup attempt, government took series of actions referred red terror, murdering several hundred people (mostly scientists , intellectuals). soviet red army never able aid new hungarian republic. despite great military successes against czechoslovakian army, communist leaders gave recaptured lands. attitude demoralized voluntary army; hungarian red army dissolved before complete campaigns. in face of domestic backlash , advancing romanian force in hungarian–romanian war of 1919, béla kun , of comrades fled austria, , budapest occupied on 6 august. kun , followers took along numerous art treasures , gold stocks of national bank. these events, , in particular final military defeat, led deep feeling of dislike among general population against soviet union (which did not offer military assistance) , hungarian jews (since members of kun s government jewish, making easy blame jews government s mistakes).

counterrevolution

the new fighting force in hungary conservative royalists counter-revolutionaries – whites . these, had been organizing in vienna , established counter-government in szeged, assumed power, led istván bethlen, transylvanian aristocrat, , miklós horthy, former commander in chief of austro-hungarian navy. conservatives determined károlyi government , communists capital treason.

in absence of strong national police force or regular military forces, white terror began in western hungary half-regular , half-militarist detachments spread throughout country. many arrant communists , other leftists tortured , executed without trial. radical whites launched pogroms against jews, displayed cause of territorial losses of hungary. notorious commander of whites pál prónay. evacuating romanian army pillaged country: livestock, machinery , agricultural products carried romania in hundreds of freight cars.

on 16 november 1919, consent of romanian forces, army of right-wing former admiral miklós horthy marched budapest. government gradually restored order , stopped terror, thousands of sympathizers of károlyi , kun regimes imprisoned. radical political movements suppressed. in march 1920, parliament restored hungarian monarchy regency postponed election of king until civil disorder had subsided. instead, horthy elected regent , empowered, among other things, appoint hungary s prime minister, veto legislation, convene or dissolve parliament, , command armed forces.

trianon hungary , regency


the treaty of trianon: hungary lost 72% of land, , sea ports in croatia, 3,425,000 magyars found separated motherland. country lost 5 of 10 biggest hungarian cities.

hungary s assent treaty of trianon on 4 june 1920 ratified decision of victorious entente powers re-draw country s borders. treaty required hungary surrender more two-thirds of pre-war territories. goal of measure permit minority populations of former austria-hungary reside in states dominated own ethnicity, many hungarians still lived in such territories. result, 1 third of 10 million ethnic hungarians found resident outside diminished homeland minorities in hostile political units.

new international borders separated hungary s industrial base sources of raw materials , former markets agricultural , industrial products. hungary lost 84% of timber resources, 43% of arable land, , 83% of iron ore. although post-trianon hungary retained 90% of engineering , printing industry of former kingdom of hungary, 11% of timber , 16% iron retained. in addition, 61% of arable land, 74% of public road, 65% of canals, 62% of railroads, 64% of hard surface roads, 83% of pig iron output, 55% of industrial plants, 100% of gold, silver, copper, mercury , salt mines, , of all, 67% of credit , banking institutions of former kingdom of hungary lay within territory of hungary s neighbors.

horthy appointed count pál teleki prime minister in july 1920. government issued numerus clausus law limited admission of political insecure elements (these jews) universities , took initial steps towards fulfilling promise of major land reform dividing 3,850 km largest estates small holdings in order quiet rural discontent. teleki s government resigned, however, after charles, former emperor of austria , king of hungary, attempted unsuccessfully retake hungary s throne in march 1921.

the return of former emperor caused split among conservative politicians favored habsburg restoration , nationalist right-wing radicals supported election of native hungarian king. count istván bethlen, non-affiliated right-wing member of parliament, took advantage of rift form new party of unity under leadership. horthy appointed bethlen prime minister. charles died after failed second time reclaim throne in october 1921. (for more detail on charles s attempts retake throne, see charles iv of hungary s conflict miklós horthy.)

miklós horthy de nagybánya, regent of hungary.

as prime minister, bethlen dominated hungarian politics between 1921 , 1931. fashioned political machine amending electoral law, providing jobs in expanding bureaucracy supporters, , manipulating elections in rural areas. bethlen restored order country giving radical counter-revolutionaries payoffs , government jobs in exchange ceasing campaign of terror against jews , leftists.

in 1921, bethlen made deal social democrats , trade unions (called bethlen-peyer pact) legalize activities , free political prisoners in return pledge refrain spreading anti-hungarian propaganda, calling political strikes, , attempting organize peasantry. bethlen brought hungary league of nations in 1922 , out of international isolation signing treaty of friendship italy in 1927. overall, bethlen sought pursue strategy of strengthening economy , building relations stronger nations.

the revision of treaty of trianon rose top of hungary s political agenda. revision of treaty had such broad backing in hungary bethlen used it, @ least in part, deflect criticism of economic, social , political policies.

the worldwide great depression began in 1929 induced drop in standard of living , political mood of country shifted further towards right. in 1932, horthy appointed new prime minister, gyula gömbös, changed course of hungarian policy towards closer cooperation germany , started effort magyarize few remaining ethnic minorities in hungary.

gömbös signed trade agreement germany helped hungary s economy out of depression, made hungary dependent on german economy both raw materials , markets. adolf hitler appealed hungarian desires territorial revisionism, while extreme right-wing organizations such arrow cross party increasingly embraced extreme nazi policies, including relating suppression , victimization of jews. government passed first jewish law in 1938. law established quota system limit jewish involvement in hungarian economy.

in 1938, béla imrédy became prime minister. imrédy s attempts improve hungary s diplomatic relations united kingdom made him unpopular in germany , italy. in light of germany s anschluss austria in march, realized not afford alienate germany , italy long. in autumn of 1938, foreign policy became pro-german , pro-italian.

intent on amassing base of power in hungarian right wing politics, imrédy began suppress political rivals. increasingly influential arrow cross party harassed , banned imrédy s administration. imrédy drifted further right, proposed government re-organized along totalitarian lines , drafted harsher second jewish law. parliament, under new government of pál teleki, approved second jewish law in 1939, restricted jewish involvement in economy, culture , society and, significantly, defined jews race instead of religion. definition , negatively altered status of had formerly converted judaism christianity.