Prolouge: The Hungarian Civil War
Following closely after the armistice of November 1918 a deomcratic national council under Prime Minister Mihály Count Károlyi declared Hungary an independent republic. The neighboring countries, especially Romania and the new Kingdom of Serbs, Slovenes, and Croats, seized the opportunity for territorial conquests. Domestic disputes about the future design of the republic forced the government Károlyi to resign, and the Socialist Party of Hungary, a coalition of Communists and Social Democrats, took power. Under the leadership of Béla Kun a council republic was established. Their attempts at forced social reforms soon led to violent conflicts, however. With the aid of Czech and Romanian troops the forces of restoration managed to crush the republic within a matter of months, at first leading to 'white terror', costing the lives of many suporters of the political left.
Karoly IV, also known as Karl I, last emperor of Austria-Hungary.
The situation remained unclear. After the 1920 elections a constitution containing both autoicratic and parliamentary elements was ratified. The question of whether or not the last Habsburg, Karl IV, was to become King of Hungary was solved with a compromise. An administrator was appointed instead of a monarch, with former navy admiral Miklós Horthy heeding the call. In the peace treaty of Trianon 1920 Hungary acknowledged formally many territorial claims: the Czechoslovakian for Slovakia, the Romanian for Siebenbürgen, and the Yugoslavian for Croatia and Slovenia. Hungary had lost 70 percent of her territory and 65 percent of her population. Two coup attempts in 1921 to bring Karl IV onto the throne failed while Horthy exploited his position for taking power from the parliament and persecuting democratic forces. To the Great Depression and the social tensions accompanying it Horthy reacted by appointing the ultra conservative Gyula Hömbös as prime minister (1932 - 1935) who would conduct the conducted Hungary's rapprochement towards Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
But in the annals of history, there have been many instances of a small group of people or a solitary soul altering the course of events through their actions. This played out once more in Hungary, where a struggling economy mixed with rising unrest throughout the early 1930s. It reached its boiling point in 1935, when four assassins ambushed Horthy's motorcade and assailed the acting administrator. Horthy was killed, as were his assassins, and others would follow - including prime minister Gyula Hömbös. The far left had not been completely crushed, and was rising after years of plotting to overthrow Horthy and his cronies.
The flag of the Hungarian Communist fighters.
Horthy's fascist support base crumbled when four divisions of the army rebelled, and others refused to fight the rebels. Success for the communist rebels was not gauranteed, either. Another faction emerged to challenge them for the fate of Hungary: military officers and political conservatives who sought to establish a less extreme form of government than that of Horthy. They sought to re-establish a true Habsburg monarch in Budapest, but there was one problem with the plan: the last known heir, Karoly IV, had died in 1921.
The flag of the monarchy-supporting Nationalists.
The Monarchists (or 'Nationalists' as they preferred to be called), though, had identified a teenager they believed was a lost heir of sorts. If she could be convinced to join the cause, the Communists might finally be put down for good. Meanwhile, the Communists fought against the Nationalists in towns and cities across Hungary. Most of their forces were poorly-armed militia, usually led by a local Party leader. Amongst them was another young woman, whom comrades had quietly taken to calling an 'angel of the revolution' after rallying faltering Red fighters to stand against Nationalist soldiers.
Nationalist volunteers of the 'Royal Hungarian Army', some veterans of the Great War, who were sent to combat the Communists with outdated weaponry.
Communist militia defending a makeshift position near Budapest in late September.
So, in October 1935, the Hungarian Civil War raged on. The Communists had suffered some painful but not lethal defeats; they even held strong positions near the capital. The Nationalists had yet to present their new Habsburg heir to the world. And the fate of Hungary, one could argue, rested on the shoulders of two young women: one, the 'Angel of the Revolution', the other the 'Lost Princess'.
Following closely after the armistice of November 1918 a deomcratic national council under Prime Minister Mihály Count Károlyi declared Hungary an independent republic. The neighboring countries, especially Romania and the new Kingdom of Serbs, Slovenes, and Croats, seized the opportunity for territorial conquests. Domestic disputes about the future design of the republic forced the government Károlyi to resign, and the Socialist Party of Hungary, a coalition of Communists and Social Democrats, took power. Under the leadership of Béla Kun a council republic was established. Their attempts at forced social reforms soon led to violent conflicts, however. With the aid of Czech and Romanian troops the forces of restoration managed to crush the republic within a matter of months, at first leading to 'white terror', costing the lives of many suporters of the political left.
Karoly IV, also known as Karl I, last emperor of Austria-Hungary.
The situation remained unclear. After the 1920 elections a constitution containing both autoicratic and parliamentary elements was ratified. The question of whether or not the last Habsburg, Karl IV, was to become King of Hungary was solved with a compromise. An administrator was appointed instead of a monarch, with former navy admiral Miklós Horthy heeding the call. In the peace treaty of Trianon 1920 Hungary acknowledged formally many territorial claims: the Czechoslovakian for Slovakia, the Romanian for Siebenbürgen, and the Yugoslavian for Croatia and Slovenia. Hungary had lost 70 percent of her territory and 65 percent of her population. Two coup attempts in 1921 to bring Karl IV onto the throne failed while Horthy exploited his position for taking power from the parliament and persecuting democratic forces. To the Great Depression and the social tensions accompanying it Horthy reacted by appointing the ultra conservative Gyula Hömbös as prime minister (1932 - 1935) who would conduct the conducted Hungary's rapprochement towards Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
But in the annals of history, there have been many instances of a small group of people or a solitary soul altering the course of events through their actions. This played out once more in Hungary, where a struggling economy mixed with rising unrest throughout the early 1930s. It reached its boiling point in 1935, when four assassins ambushed Horthy's motorcade and assailed the acting administrator. Horthy was killed, as were his assassins, and others would follow - including prime minister Gyula Hömbös. The far left had not been completely crushed, and was rising after years of plotting to overthrow Horthy and his cronies.
The flag of the Hungarian Communist fighters.
Horthy's fascist support base crumbled when four divisions of the army rebelled, and others refused to fight the rebels. Success for the communist rebels was not gauranteed, either. Another faction emerged to challenge them for the fate of Hungary: military officers and political conservatives who sought to establish a less extreme form of government than that of Horthy. They sought to re-establish a true Habsburg monarch in Budapest, but there was one problem with the plan: the last known heir, Karoly IV, had died in 1921.
The flag of the monarchy-supporting Nationalists.
The Monarchists (or 'Nationalists' as they preferred to be called), though, had identified a teenager they believed was a lost heir of sorts. If she could be convinced to join the cause, the Communists might finally be put down for good. Meanwhile, the Communists fought against the Nationalists in towns and cities across Hungary. Most of their forces were poorly-armed militia, usually led by a local Party leader. Amongst them was another young woman, whom comrades had quietly taken to calling an 'angel of the revolution' after rallying faltering Red fighters to stand against Nationalist soldiers.
Nationalist volunteers of the 'Royal Hungarian Army', some veterans of the Great War, who were sent to combat the Communists with outdated weaponry.
Communist militia defending a makeshift position near Budapest in late September.
So, in October 1935, the Hungarian Civil War raged on. The Communists had suffered some painful but not lethal defeats; they even held strong positions near the capital. The Nationalists had yet to present their new Habsburg heir to the world. And the fate of Hungary, one could argue, rested on the shoulders of two young women: one, the 'Angel of the Revolution', the other the 'Lost Princess'.
