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. The dismemberment of the Hungarian Kingdom after its defeat in World War I resulted in the loss of two-thirds of its territory and three-fourths of its population. The loss, confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon, was never fully accepted by the Hungarian population, and the movement for revision of the treaty continued to dominate Hungarian political, social, and economic life. Hungary's geopolitical situation in Central Europe, surroun ... More

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. The dismemberment of the Hungarian Kingdom after its defeat in World War I resulted in the loss of two-thirds of its territory and three-fourths of its population. The loss, confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon, was never fully accepted by the Hungarian population, and the movement for revision of the treaty continued to dominate Hungarian political, social, and economic life. Hungary's geopolitical situation in Central Europe, surrounded by countries either occupied by or allied with Germany, determined that Hungary would become involved in the war, but the attempts to regain lost territories drew it into its alliance with Nazi Germany. With an economic boom and recovery of territory early in the war Hungarians deluded themselves that they had won their long-sought objective. Instead, in the final year of the war the country became a battleground between Nazi and Soviet forces, bringing widespread destruction and a genocidal war against Hungarian Jews, with further devastation under Soviet occupation. The 1947 Peace Treaty of Paris not only returned Hungary to its pre 1937 boundaries, but permitted Soviet troops to remain in the country. The troops were not withdrawn until June 16, 1990.