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The story of Hungary's participation in World War II is part of a much larger story--one that has never before been fully recounted for a non-Hungarian readership. As told by Deborah Cornelius, it is a fascinating tale of rise and fall, of hopes dashed and dreams in tatters. Using previously untapped sources and interviews she conducted for this book, Cornelius provides a clear account of Hungary's attempt to regain the glory of the Hungarian Kingdom by joining forces with Nazi Germany--a decision that today seems doomed to fail from the start. For scholars and history buffs alike, Hungary in World War II is a riveting read.Cornelius begins her study with the Treaty of Trianon, which in 1920 spelled out the terms of defeat for the former Kingdom. The new country of Hungary lost more than seventy percent of the Kingdom's territory, saw its population reduced by nearly the same percentage, and was stripped of five of its ten most populous cities. As Cornelius makes vividly clear, nearly all of the actions of Hungarian leaders during the succeeding decades can be traced back to this incalculable defeat. In the early years of World War II, Hungary enjoyed boom times--and the dream of restoring the Hungarian Kingdom began to rise again. Caught in the middle as the war engulfed Europe, Hungary was drawn into an alliance with Nazi Germany. When the Germans appeared to give Hungary much of its pre-World War I territory, Hungarians began to delude themselves into believing they had won their long-sought objective. Instead, the final year of the world war brought widespread destruction and a genocidal war against Hungarian Jews. Caught between two warring behemoths, the country became a battleground for German and Soviet forces. In the wake of the war, Hungary suffered further devastation under Soviet occupation and forty-five years of communist rule. The author first became interested in Hungary in 1957 and has visited the country numerous times, beginning in the 1970s. Over the years she has talked with many Hungarians, both scholars and everyday people. Hungary in World War II draws skillfully on these personal tales to narrate events before, during, and after World War II. It provides a comprehensive and highly readable history of Hungarian participation in the war, along with an explanation of Hungarian motivation: the attempt of a defeated nation to relive its former triumphs. ... Read more

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It is well known that Béla Bartók had an extraordinary ability to synthesize Western art music with the folk music of Eastern Europe. What this rich and beautifully written study makes clear is that, contrary to much prevailing thought about the great twentieth-century Hungarian composer, Bartók was also strongly influenced by the art-music traditions of his native country. Drawing from a wide array of material including contemporary reviews and little known Hungarian documents, David Schneider presents a new approach to Bartók that acknowledges the composer's debt to a variety of Hungarian music traditions as well as to influential contemporaries such as Igor Stravinsky. Putting representative works from each decade beginning with Bartók's graduation from the Music Academy in 1903 until his departure for the United States in 1940 under critical lens, Schneider reads the composer's artistic output as both a continuation and a profound transformation of the very national tradition he repeatedly rejected in public. By clarifying why Bartók felt compelled to obscure his ties to the past and by illuminating what that past actually was, Schneider dispels myths about Bartók's relationship to nineteenth-century traditions and at the same time provides a new perspective on the relationship between nationalism and modernism in early-twentieth century music. ... Read more

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In the years of Nazi occupation of Hungary, Hungarian Jews referred to their Gentile rescuers as "angels" - these seemingly ordinary men and women could hardly explain their actions. "I did what I had to do almost unconsciously," said Lutheran Pastor Gabor Sztehlos. Scrawny Mr. Kanalas, a disreputable janitor, could chase away Nazi thugs without hesitation-where did such behavior come from and why? Erzesebet David was a weak and indecisive woman-where did she find the will to forge Christian birth certificates? Charles Fenyvesi and members of his family were on the helped by these angels. Thousands of others were helped by Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish consul whose actions surprised many who knew him. Fenyvesi writes as a historian and beneficiary of these modest angels who, with their actions in a time of absolute terror, soared while others crawled. ... Read more

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This volume aims to convey the realities of life in labour service companies through the personal narratives of survivors. The four narratives included were selected to dramatize some of the most distinct experiences endured by labour servicemen. ... Read more

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In Hungary at War, Cecil Eby has compiled a historical chronicle of Hungary's wartime experiences based on interviews with nearly a hundred people who lived through those years. Here are officers and common soldiers, Jewish survivors of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, pilots of the Royal Hungarian Air Force, Hungarian prisoners of war in Russian labor camps, and a host of others. We meet the apologists for the Horthy regime installed by Hitler and the activists who sought to overthrow it, and we relive the Red Army's siege of Budapest during the harsh winter of 1944-45 through the memories of ordinary citizens trapped there.Most of the accounts shared here have never been told to anyone outside the subjects' families. We learn of a woman, Ilona Joo, who survived in a cellar while German and Russian armies used her house and garden as a battleground, and of the remarkable Merenyi sisters, who trekked home to Budapest after being freed from Bergen-Belsen. Eby has also included a rare interview with a former member of the Arrow Cross, Hungary's fascist party, that sheds new light on its leadership. From these personal accounts, Eby draws readers into the larger themes of the tragedy of war and the consequences of individual actions in moments of crisis.Skillfully integrating oral testimony with historical exposition, Hungary at War reveals the knot of ideological, economic, and ethnic attachments that entangled the lives of so many Hungarians. The result is an absorbing narrative that is a fitting testament to a nation buffeted by external forces beyond its capacity to control. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Hungary at war; civilians and soldiers in world war II
The book is overpriced, the author is misinformed about many facts,and repeating himself throughout...unfortunately it is a very poorly written, mostly fictionus work. I do not recommend it to anyone, who is really interested in this period.
I gave it one star!!

This book satisfies both emotionally and intellectually.
Dr. Eby balances the human tradegy with detailed historical facts to produce a very readable account of the fate of Hungary during and immediately proceeding WWII.Alot of the book is written in narrative form- detailed accounts of soldiers and civilians personal experiences.Someof the material is tough to read, not due to the writing, rather the brutalnature of subject.

Historians who are familiar with the period, mayfind a lot of repetition of the historical facts. This is due to the use ofnarratives - each story stands alone, the reader does not have to referback to previous chapters.

Dr. Eby is also to be commended for hisbalance and objectivity. He covers a cast of characters with a very evenhand. ... Read more

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This is the first book in English to comprehensively examine the crucial first five years of Istvan Bethlen's premiership when, following the catastrophe of 1918-1920, he began the reconstruction of the country. Thomas Lorman argues that from 1920 to 1925, Bethlen engaged in a protracted and closely fought struggle to restore political, social, and economic stability. Bethlen achieved his objectives by re-constructing the governing party, which had been employed so effectively by Kálmán and István Tisza prior to World War One. Like the Tiszas' model, Bethlen's governing party was designed not to carry through a particular ideological agenda but rather to dominate Hungarian politics, which allowed Bethlen to consolidate the regime and restore stability.

This book recognizes Bethlen's pragmatism. Lorman conducts extensive original research in Hungarian state and local archives and uses a methodological approach that examines, in detail, each stage of the political process by which Bethlen carried through the consolidation of the regime's power and the restoration of political stability.

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From border garrison of the Roman Empire to magnificent Baroque seat of the Hapsburgs, Vienna's fortunes swung between survival and expansion. By the late nineteenth century it had become the western capital of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, but the twentieth century saw it degraded to a 'hydrocephalus' cut off from its former economic hinterland. After the inglorious Nazi interlude, Vienna began the long climb back to the prosperous and cultivated city of 1.7 million inhabitants that it is today. Subjected to constant infusions of new, Vienna has both assimilated and resisted cultural influences from outside, creating its own sui generis culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Kind of like a real guide in your pocket
We used the Blue Guide for our trip to Vienna. It was fantastic, if you like detailed information about architecture and history, which we do.The book doesn't have much, if any humor, as it is almost like a textbook. Iwouldn't use it for accomodation information, but as ahuman guide itcannot be beat. ... Read more

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This title presents a history of the Habsburg monarchy from the end of the Holy Roman Empire to the monarchy's dissolution in 1918. The book offers an insight into the problems inherent in the attempt to give peace, stability and common loyalty to a heterogeneous population. ... Read more

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Written by the famous British professor, this is a carefully detailed sociological and ethnic study of the Carpathian Basin, 18 years after the Treaty of Trianon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The True Story of WWI peace-making and it's aftermath
C.A. Macartney did, what most fellow historians weren't capable of. Either because of professional incapability, or deliberate political intentions.
Macartney presents the history of Hungary leading up to Trianon and the aftermath of it..
He writes about the events as they were in a rarely sober way. Always presenting the topic balanced, not only from one point of view.
The work is about the states, which took over territories from Hungary after WWI. Namely Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia and Austria.
He describes the history of each area and the peoples living there.

Review based on Simon Publications reprint edition August 2001 ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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The Spirit of Hungary: A Panorama of Hungarian History and Culture includes these events that molded the nation's soul:

The arrival into the Carpathian Basin...the conversion to Christianity...the glory years of wealth and power...the Mongol invasion...the tragic battle of Mohacs, followed by 150 years of Turkish rule...the struggle and compromise with the Hapsburgs...wars of liberation led by Rakoczi and Kossuth...Hungary's dismemberment at Trianon in 1920...the Horthy era...Communist rule..."glory in defeat"--the Revolution of 1956...the struggle for survival of Hungarian ethnics in neighboring states..."glory in victory"--the bloodless revolution of 1989...a "nation without boundaries."

This book also provides witness to history through colorful biographies, including:

-Saint Stephen, who Christianized a nation of pagan warriors -Janos Hunyadi, the Defender of Christendom-Matthias, the Renaissance King-Ferenc Rakoczi, who held Europe's largest empire at bay with his ragtag army for eight years-Louis Kossuth, who was compared to Moses and Washington during his triumphant tour of America in 1851-Queen Elizabeth, who became Hungary's "Guardian Angel" during her bittersweet life.-Cardinal Mindszenty, who defied Communist rule-and many others.

The Spirit of Hungary also provides a panorama of Hungarian culture, including its language, music, art, and literature.

Chapters on the "Hungarian Genius" and "A Nation of Champions" cover world-class achievements science, medicine, mathematics, and sports. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great introduction to Hungary's impact
Preparing for a trip to Hungary, I enjoyed Sisa's rather old-fashioned narrative history. Suprisingly, the opening chapters proved gripping, filled with enthusiastically rendered anecdotes about early rulers, medieval battles, and lots of double-crossing diplomats and nobles. There's material here for a dozen epic (English-language at least!) novels or movies. Extracts from historical novels sprinkled throughout the book from otherwise untranslated Hungarian authors spice up Sisa's entrees vividly.

As Hungary becomes its own empire, then falls under Turkish and Habsburg dominance, the story keeps pace. When the Austrians take over, and nationalism emerges, you root for the heroes even as Sisa fairly tries to show how other Hungarians and minority peoples allied with the imperialists for their own reasons. Distinguishing the "state" from a "people" and a "nation" clarifies his presentation for Western readers who may lump these terms differently than they apply to Central Europe and the Balkans.

I found the latter part of the book a bit less engrossing; I expected more on 1956 and especially the Kadar period up to 1989. This post-revolt stage seems glossed over too quickly, even as other sections elaborate (especially in the second and third editions) in too much detail for the novice diplomatic and territorial confrontations with Romania, the former Czechoslovakia, and the Balkan states regarding Hungarian minorities and the aftermath of Trianon. This material may better suit political students of this period than the first-time reader wanting a panoramic view of Hungarian history and culture.

The absence of tanchaz music and the 1980s folk-music revival (Muszikas, Marta Sebestyen, romany/gypsy artists for example) bringing Hungary onto the "world music" scene means that you find a lot deservedly on classical music but not its modern folk offshoots and grafts. However, plenty of coverage of art and literature balances this omission, I suppose.

Written with obvious love and passion, yet remaining fair-minded about, say, the mixed blessings and upheavals Jewish immigration caused in the 19th c., the betrayals of its leaders, or the demands of minorities within Hungary's shifting borders, Sisa's book filled a need for a popularly aimed, solid work--belying its coffee-table size and rather rough-hewn cut-and-paste (pre-word processing) layout. Best read a few chapters at a time, the old-fashioned way: in a comfy armchair, propped open on your lap.

The Spirit of Hungary
I had the opportunity to read the book's third edition, appeared in 1995, comparing it with its original edition and found it considerably improved. Besides giving very good data about the facts of Hungary's history, it isalso spiced with chapters from famous historical novels, which gives anadditional insight to some important historical moments (I liked specially"The pagans"). It also contains an ample panorama of Hungarianculture, an explanation of the origin of Hungarian language and adescription of Hungarian music, literature and art. A very recommendablebook for all persons, who wish to receive an insight to Hungary's history,past and present. After five years, a new edition, with updates of thelatest events, like the 1100 years of the establishment of Hungarians inthe Carpathian basin and the Millenium year of St. Stephen's crowning,would be welcome.

Most thorough, unbiased accounting of Hungarian History.
Steven Sisa needs to be commended for themost thorough, unbiased accounting of Hungarian history that I haveread to date in theenglish language.He has captured the essential ingredients of Hungary's 1000 yearpresence in the heart of Europe while avoiding superfluous details. Anecdotes of the likes of Attila the Hun and Batu Khan, the Mongol chieftanwho led his merciless forces against Christian Europe in 1240-41, spring tolife with unusual vividness.Anyone desiring to havea concise picture inone volume of Hungary's colorful yet tumultuous history should not miss theopportunity of having this book in their library. ... Read more

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Zsuzsa Gille combines social history, cultural analysis, and environmental sociology to advance a long overdue social theory of waste in this study of waste management, Hungarian state socialism, and post-Cold War capitalism. From 1948 to the end of the Soviet period, Hungary developed a cult of waste that valued reuse and recycling. With privatization the old environmentally beneficial, though not flawless, waste regime was eliminated, and dumping and waste incineration were again promoted. Gille's analysis focuses on the struggle between a Budapest-based chemical company and the small rural village that became its toxic dump site. ... Read more

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Erich Lessing's landmark photographs of the Hungarian Revolution, published to mark the 50th anniversary of the uprising.

On October 23, 1956, what began as a mass rally in Budapest quickly evolved into the Hungarian Revolution. Within days, millions of Hungarians were supporting the revolt. It lasted until November 4th when it was crushed by Hungarian Security Police and Soviet tanks and artillery. Between 25,000 and 50,000 Hungarian rebels and 7,000 Soviets were killed, thousands were injured, and nearly a quarter of a million people left the country as refugees.

Erich Lessing was the first photographer to arrive in Hungary, and he documented the short-lived uprising and its aftermath in a series of world-famous photographs, reproduced here in stunning duotone. They bring to life once more the hope and euphoria of the first days of the revolt, so soon to be followed by the pain and punishment of its brutal suppression. 230 duotone illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Torn Jacket
book arrived with jacket torn (beneath shrink wrap). Too late to send back as it was a xmas gift.

An excellent portrayal of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
Being of Hungarian descent, I was interested in knowing a little more about the history of the Hungarian Revolution.This book is perfect in that it not only gives you information on the 1956 uprising, but it has a pictorial detail of the event.Truly an excellent book to have for anyone of Hungarian descent or any history buff.This book isn't just about Hungarians, I look at it as a portrayal of the strength the people have when they fight for freedom.Truly remarkable!

Budapest uprising
This is a stunning book. The photos tell the story. The written parts
accurately describe the events in an easy-to-read style.
My wife and I lived through the revolution and this book brought back all
the memories.

hungarianjedi
The book is rather large, so difficult to read as a historical text, and may arrive slightly damaged at the corners due to its size.

It's a good coffee table book or discussion piece, rather than an official historical review of a difficult period in Hungary.The photographs are plentiful, but if you are looking for photos or armor "in action" during the revolution you will likely be disappointed as most of the photos are of politicians, people and places.There are however, some photos of T34-85s and T-54/55s.

If you are looking for historical photographs of the events leading up to, during and after the revolution this is a great book.Some of the pictures may be disturbing to some, but that is one of the advantages of the book: it paints the revolution as it was, painful, messy and with casualties on both sides.

If you are interested in photography or historical photographs, this book may also be for you.It would also be a good book as an accompaniment to a more readable historical text.

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 in photos
Anyone who has traveled to the newly democratic and capitalist Eastern Europe in the past 15 years might find it hard to imagine the darkest days of Communist dominance and repression in the 1950s and '60s. This book is an excellent visual record of a brief moment in Hungarian history, one which every Hungarian knows simply as "Fifty-six," and one which had such dire and long-lasting consequences. Many of those consequences will not disappear either soon or easily. Compare the rubble-strewn streets in these photos to the prosperous and crowded streets of today's Budapest. When the Soviets crushed the '56 revolution, they installed János Kádár in power, where he stayed for the next 30 years. In the spring of 2007, his grave was desecrated and his skull stolen. ... Read more

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This comprehensive study of the Holocaust in Hungary addresses a broad historic perspective consisting of contributions by twenty-one distinguished scholars. The text includes a keynote address by Elie Wiesel and deals with both wartime, and postwar Holocaust issues in Hungary, as well as some of the art and literature that arose out of the devastation.

Customer Reviews (1)

solid social history of a small Hungarian town
This book's contents is a lot more solid and a lot less presumptious than its title. The author, thankfully, does not pretend to "understand modern Hungary" through the lives of three families. She does, however, do a good job in exploring the social and, to an extent, economic history of a small town in the Great Hungarian Plains. A reader's interest and curiosity are nicely piqued by installments of family histories -- marriages, children, house building -- which successfully sustained me through tables of income statistics and descriptions of numerous land reforms. I would have wished to see more clear differentiation between author's comments and the views expressed by her interview subjects. As it is, I was occasionally frustrated by being unable to tell the difference, and feeling deprived of a clear insight into the families' views and perceptions.
The book is written in a strongly narrative style, steady-paced and slightly boring in the middle sections, but picking up speed and vibrancy as the author moves into the events of the 1980s. All in all, it is a solid work, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in social history, particularly of Eastern Europe. ... Read more

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The first part of a two-volume history of the Habsburg Empire from its origins in the late medieval period to its dismemberment in World War 1. This volume, which is self-contained, meets a long-felt need for a systematic survey of the Habsburgs in the early modern period. It is primarily concerned with the lands and peoples who had been brought under the personal rule of the Habsburg dynasty by the end of the Middle Ages - notably the Germans, Austrians, Czechs and Hungarians. The family history of the Habsburgs themselves is skilfully interwoven with the accumulation of territory and the processes of state formation. Much biographical detail of the dominant Habsburg personalities emerges from what is primarily a political narrative; and there are extended discussions of economic developments, social change, and cultural matters. The history of the Spanish Habsburgs is also explained in sufficient detail to show how the fortunes of the Spanish and Austrian branches of the family were linked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Outstanding piece of scholarship eminently readable by all
Berenger's book is an outstanding piece of scholarship eminently readable by scientists and lay people alike. Professor Berenger succeeded in this book in depicting how and why the miscellaneos nations of the Austrian Empire tried to shape their destinies against the background of complex relationships, even intrigues in the Habsburg family. In this work, Berenger undertook an enormous task of deciphering the colorful tapestry of the individual nations of the monarchy and, without taking sides, of determining their respective weights and roles in shaping the power structure of the monarchy.Thus, the book is primarily a study in the history of Central Europe while not neglecting the history of the Habsburg family. To explain the conditions and circumstances that made it possible for a relatively unknown count Rudolf of Habsburg to make the lands of Austria his springboard to power, Berenger takes us first to the middle of the 12th century when two kings, the Czech king Premysl Otakar II and the Hungarian king Bela IV vied for the domination of the Austrian lands.Eventually, the Czech ruler prevailed and his Austro-Bohemian state stretched from the Adriatic to the Baltic. This powerhouse, Berenger explains, was the thorn in the side of the German princes who decide to play Rudolf against Otakar. Eventually, Rudolf with their help overpowered Otakar by ruse and sword and had him killed by the hands of treasonous Czech noblemen. Austria lay open before Rudolf. The Habsburgs proved to be consummate politicians who mastered the art of playing their enemies against each other, who knew how to make use of religious tensions to get the Vatican on their side thus further strengthening their position in Europe. Berenger takes us then through the centuries of bitter wars against the invading Turks the brunt of which was born mainly by the Hungarians, through the fires of Reformation and Contra-Reformation, from the splendor of the Renaissance court of the Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, where religeous tolerance and the pursuit of sciences florished, to the gradual concentration of political powers in Vienna. While masterfully moulding the enormous mass of facts and relationships into an integrated, logical picture of Central Europe, Berenger does not neglect to provide the total picture of the Universal Habsburg Monarchy which, through another branch of the family encompassed Spain and other countries of Western Europe. We can only hope that the second volume of Professor Berenger's outstanding work will be equally illuminating and captivating reading as was this first volume. J.J.Ulbrech

A blatant example of cultural racism.
This book by Berenger contains the two most blatant examples of cultural racism currently in print that I have yet found.See the arrogant dismissal of Berenger of the Hungarian origins and the unbelievabledismissal of Jews in Hapsburg historymost obviously in the area of theRothchild's.I have no idea what positive value this book may have, but asan artifact of racism, it is quite impressive.

Michael Wahrman ... Read more

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The interest in the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 has exceeded the expectations of the publishers of this volume. The first edition, which was published five months ago, is already exhausted and a second is now called for. Meanwhile there has broken out and is now in progress a war which is generally regarded as the greatest of all time—a war already involving five of the six Great Powers and three of the smaller nations of Europe as well as Japan and Turkey and likely at any time to embroil other countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa, which are already embraced in the area of military
operations.

This War of Many Nations had its origin in Balkan situation. It began on July 28 with the declaration of the Dual Monarchy to the effect that from that moment Austria-Hungary was in a state of war with Servia. And the fundamental reason for this declaration as given in the note or ultimatum to Servia was the charge that the Servian authorities had encouraged the Pan-Serb agitation which seriously menaced the integrity of Austria-Hungary and had already caused the assassination at Serajevo of the Heir to the Throne.

No one could have observed at close range the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 without perceiving, always in the background and occasionally in the foreground, the colossal rival figures of Russia and Austria-Hungary. Attention was called to the phenomenon at various points in this volume and especially in the concluding pages. ... Read more