Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
reign of 'red terror' around the country. In August Romanian troops occupied the capital,
and Kun fled to Vienna.
THE DESPISED TREATY OF TRIANON
In June 1920 the victorious Allies drew up a postwar settlement under the Treaty of
Trianon at Versailles, near Paris, that enlarged some countries, truncated others and
created several 'successor states'. As one of the defeated enemy nations and with
large numbers of minorities clamouring for independence within its borders, Hungary
stood to lose more than most. It was reduced to 40% of its historical size and, while
now a largely uniform, homogeneous state, millions of ethnic Hungarians in Romania,
Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were now the minority.
'Trianon' became the singularly most hated word in Hungary, and 'Nem, Nem,
Soha!' (No, No, Never!) the rallying cry during the interwar years. Many of the prob-
lems the so-calleddiktátumcreated remained in place for decades, and it has col-
oured Hungary's relations with its neighbours for almost a century.
One of the founders of the actors' union in Budapest during Béla Kun's short-lived Repub-
lic of Councils was one Béla Lugosi, who fled to Vienna in 1919 and eventually made his
way to Hollywood, where he achieved fame as the lead in the original Dracula films.
The Horthy Years & WWII
In March 1920, Hungary's Parliament chose a kingdom as the form of state and - lacking a
king - elected as its regent Admiral Horthy. He launched a 'white terror' - every bit as bru-
tal as Béla Kun's red one - that attacked social democrats, Jews and communists for their
roles in supporting the Republic of Councils. As the regime was consolidated, it showed it-
self to be extremely rightist and conservative, advocating the status quo and 'traditional val-
ues'.
It was generally agreed that the return of the territories lost through the Treaty of Trianon
was essential for national development. Hungary obviously could not count on the victors -
France, Britain and the US - to help recoup its land; instead, it would have to seek help
from the fascist governments of Germany and Italy.
Hungary's move to the right intensified throughout the 1930s, though it remained silent
when WWII broke out in September 1939. Horthy hoped an alliance would not mean actu-
ally having to enter the war but joined the German- and Italian-led Axis in June 1941. The
