Ferenc Szálasi | |
|---|---|
 Szálasi in 1944 | |
| Leader of the Nation | |
| In office 4 November 1944 – 7 May 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Miklós Horthy (as Regent of Hungary) |
| Succeeded by | High National Council (as collective head of state) |
| Prime Minister of Hungary | |
| In office 16 October 1944 – 7 May 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Géza Lakatos |
| Succeeded by | Béla Miklós |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1897-01-06)6 January 1897 |
| Died | 12 March 1946(1946-03-12) (aged 49) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Political party | Arrow Cross Party |
| Spouse | Gizella Lutz |
| Profession | Soldier, Politician |
| Awards | 3rd Class,Order of the Iron Crown |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Austria-Hungary Kingdom of Hungary |
| Branch/service | Austro-Hungarian Navy Austro-Hungarian Army Royal Hungarian Army |
| Years of service | 1915–1935 |
| Rank | Major |
| Commands | 1st Honvéd Mixed-Brigade |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| ||
|---|---|---|
Leader of the Nation 1944-1945 Policies Military Government Others .svg) | ||
Ferenc Szálasi (Hungarian pronunciation:[ˈfɛrɛnt͡sˈsaːlɒʃi]; 6 January 1897 – 12 March 1946) was a Hungarian military officer, politician,Nazi sympathizer and founder of the far-rightArrow Cross Party whoheaded the government of Hungary during thecountry's occupation byNazi Germany in the final stages ofWorld War II.
Szálasi served with distinction duringWorld War I as an officer in theAustro-Hungarian Army. In 1925, he became astaff officer of the restoredKingdom of Hungary under RegentMiklós Horthy. Initially apolitical, Szálasi embraced right-wing ultranationalism in the early 1930s and became a passionate advocate of theirredentist Hungarism. In 1937, he founded theHungarian National Socialist Party, having retired from the military and fully devoted himself to politics. He attracted considerable support through his virulently nationalist and antisemitic program, while his followers became increasingly radical, leading to his imprisonment in 1938. While in prison, he was proclaimed leader of the far-rightNazi Arrow Cross Party, which quickly became one of the most powerful political forces in the country. Szálasi was granted amnesty in 1940, but had to operate his party clandestinely after Horthy outlawed it on the outbreak ofWorld War II.
Following the German occupation of Hungary in March 1944 and Horthy's ousting in October, Szálasi was madehead of government andhead of state. His pro-Nazipuppet government, known as theGovernment of National Unity, was dominated by members of the Arrow Cross Party. The regime imposedmartial law, participated in Germany's war efforts and recommencedthe Holocaust in Hungary, which had been halted by Horthy. His militias were singularly responsible for the murder of 10,000–15,000Hungarian Jews and for the deportation of a further 650,000 to death camps.[1]
Szálasi's collaborationist government, with its authority limited to the city ofBudapest and its environs, only lasted 163 days. Facing the advance ofSoviet andRomanian forces, Szálasi and his cabinet fled the country shortly before theSiege of Budapest began. He was captured by American troops in Austria in May 1945 and returned to Hungary to face trial. The Government of National Unity, which had relocated toMunich, was formally dissolved the next day. The People's Tribunal in Budapest found him guilty ofwar crimes andhigh treason, and sentenced him to death. He was executed by hanging on 12 March 1946.
Born the son of a soldier in Kassa,Abaúj-Torna County,Kingdom of Hungary (nowKošice, Slovakia) of mixedArmenian (the surname of his great-grandfather was Salossian),[2][3][4]German,Hungarian (one grandparent),Slovak andRusyn ancestry. His Armenian ancestors settled down inEbesfalva,Transylvania during the reign of PrinceMichael I Apafi. Szálasi's grandfather, who participated as ahonvéd in theHungarian Revolution of 1848, married a German woman fromVienna, and their son, Ferenc Szálasi, Sr. (born 1866) attended a military cadet school in Kassa and later became an official in the Honvédség. Szálasi's brothers, Béla, Károly and Rezső also served in the army.
Szálasi's mother was theGreek Catholic Erzsébet Szakmár (born 1875), who had Slovak and Rusyn roots. She provided religious education to her sons. Szálasi once said "I received the power of belief and faith in God through breast milk. My mother made to drink faith through and through me"[clarification needed]. Ferenc Szálasi lived with his mother until 1944.[5]
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Szálasi followed in his father's footsteps and joined the army at a young age. He finished elementary studies in his birthplace, then attended the military academy inKőszeg, Marosvásárhely (nowTârgu Mureș in Romania) and continued studies inKismarton. Finally, he finished his military education in theTheresian Military Academy ofWiener Neustadt, where he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1915.
He eventually became an officer and served in theAustro-Hungarian Army during World War I. He served on the frontline for 36 months. At the end of the war, he was promoted to First Lieutenant and was involved in the 2nd regiment of k.u.k. Tyrolean Rifle Regiments, widely known asKaiserjäger. He was stationed nearMerano andLake Garda in theItalian Front. Later the regiments were ordered to the north toVerdun at the last days of the war. For his service, he was honored with Third Class of theOrder of the Iron Crown. Returning to Hungary, Szálasi performed courier service for the newly formed Ministry of Foreign Affairs after theAster Revolution in November 1918.
Upon the dissolution and break-up ofAustria-Hungary after the war, theHungarian Democratic Republic and then theHungarian Soviet Republic were briefly proclaimed in 1918 and 1919 respectively. The short-lived communist government ofBéla Kun launched what was known as the "Red Terror" and ultimately involved Hungary in an ill-fatedwar with Romania. In 1920, the country went into a period of civil conflict with Hungariananti-communists andmonarchists violently purging the nation of communists, leftist intellectuals, and others they felt threatened by, especially Jews. This period was known as the "White Terror" and, in 1920, after the pullout of the last of theRomanian occupation forces, it led to the restoration of theKingdom of Hungary (Magyar Királyság) under RegentMiklós Horthy. During that time, Szálasi was still an apolitical person, and he did not involve himself in events beyond the general interest.
In 1920–21, Szálasi finished non-commissioned officer training school inHajmáskér; following that, he served in the 13th Infantry Regiment inMiskolc. In 1923, he enrolled to the General Staff officers' training course at theLudovica Military Academy. For his outstanding achievements, he was promoted with priority to Captain in 1924. In 1925, Szálasi entered the General Staff of the restored Kingdom. He fulfilled his mandatory field-grade task in 1929 at the 11th Infantry Regiment inDebrecen as acompany commander. According to some memoirs by former subordinates, Szálasi was a popular and beloved superior among the infantry. His fellow officers acknowledged his military skills and literacy, but some others thought Szálasi was pedantic and autonomous. According to his future Minister of Defence,Károly Beregfy, "Szálasi's name among the General Staff was a concept of excellent hunting and tactics, but also a concept with the regards of honesty, truthfulness and Puritanism." By 1933, Szálasi had attained the rank of Major and became Chief of the 1st Honvéd Mixed-Brigade's General Staff in Budapest.
Around this time, whenGyula Gömbös came to power, Szálasi became fascinated with politics and often lectured on Hungary's political affairs. By this time, the hitherto apolitical Szálasi was a fanatical right-wing nationalist and a strong proponent of "Hungarism" and advocating the expansion of Hungary's territory back to the borders ofGreater Hungary as it was prior to theTreaty of Trianon, which in 1920 had reduced the country's territory by 72%. In 1933, to summarize his views, he published his 46-page pamphlet with the titleA magyar állam felépítésének terve ("Plan for the Building of the Hungarian State") and sent his work to several politicians. Soldiers and military officers were banned from politicizing, thus Szálasi was sentenced to twenty-day detention and expelled from the General Staff by a military court. After his release, Szálasi was ordered to the 14th Infantry Regiment inEger, where served as staff officer then first adjutant. Szálasi gradually became disillusioned with the army and requested resignation from that in October 1934.
On 1 March 1935, Szálasi left the army in order to devote his full attention to politics, after which time he established the Party of National Will, a nationalistic group.It was eventually outlawed by the conservative government for being too radical. Unperturbed, Szálasi established theHungarian National Socialist Party in 1937, which was also banned. However, Szálasi was able to attract considerable support to his cause from factory workers and Hungary's lower classes by pandering to their aggrieved sense of nationalism and their virulent antisemitism.[citation needed]
After Germany's "Union" (Anschluss) withAustria in 1938, Szálasi's followers became more radical in their political activities, and Szálasi was arrested and imprisoned by the Hungarian Police. However, even while in prison Szálasi managed to remain a powerful political figure, and was proclaimed leader of the National SocialistArrow Cross Party (a coalition of several right-wing groups) when it was expanded in 1938. The party attracted a large number of followers, and in the 1939 elections, it gained 30 seats in the Hungarian Parliament, thus becoming one of the more powerful parties in Hungary. Freed due to a general amnesty resulting from theSecond Vienna Award in 1940, Szálasi returned to politics. When World War II began, the Arrow Cross Party was officially banned by Prime MinisterPál Teleki, thus forcing Szálasi to operate in secret. During this period, Szálasi gained the support and backing of the Germans, who had previously been opposed to Szálasi because his Hungarist nationalism placed Hungarian territorial claims above those of Germany.[citation needed]
Following theNazi occupation of Hungary in March 1944, the pro-GermanDöme Sztójay was installed asPrime Minister of Hungary. The Arrow Cross Party was then legalized by the government, allowing Szálasi to expand the party. When Sztójay was deposed in August, Szálasi once again became an enemy of the Hungarian government and RegentMiklós Horthy ordered his arrest. By this time, Horthy realized that Hungary's position was untenable, and began putting out feelers to the Allies. The Germans were concerned that Horthy would succeed in extricating Hungary from the war. They had, however, waiting in the wings, a perfect ally in Szálasi.
When the Germans learned of the Regent's plan to come to a separate peace with the Soviets and exit the Axis alliance, they kidnapped Horthy's son,Miklós, Jr. and threatened to kill him unless Horthy abdicated in favor of Szálasi. Under duress, Horthy signed a document announcing his own abdication and naming Szálasi prime minister–effectively giving "legal sanction" to an Arrow Cross coup. In his memoirs, Horthy contended the appointment of Szálasi was invalid, saying, "A signature wrung from a man at machine-gun point can have little legality."[6] The Germans then pressured Parliament to install Szálasi as Head of State as well.
Szálasi'sGovernment of National Unity turned the Kingdom of Hungary into apuppet state ofNazi Germany formed on 16 October 1944 afterRegent of HungaryMiklós Horthy was removed from power duringOperation Panzerfaust (Unternehmen Eisenfaust).[7]
The Hungarian parliament approved the formation of a Council of Regency (Kormányzótanács) of three. On 4 November, Szálasi was sworn as Leader of the Nation (nemzetvezető).[8] He formed a government of sixteen ministers, half of which were members of the Arrow Cross Party. While the Horthy regency had come to an end, the Hungarian monarchy was not abolished by the Szálasi regime, as government newspapers kept referring to the country as the Kingdom of Hungary (Magyar Királyság, also abbreviated asm.kir.), althoughMagyarország (Hungary) was frequently used as an alternative.[9][10]
Szálasi and his "Quisling government" had little other intention or ability but to execute the party's ideology and to maintain control in Nazi-occupied portions of Hungary as the Soviet Union invaded. He did this in order to reduce the threat to Germany. Szálasi's aim was to create aone-party state based on Hungarism.
Under his rule as a close ally of Germany, the Germans, with the assistance of the Szálasi government, recommenced the deportation of the Jews, which had been suspended by Horthy. He organised the so-calledInternational Ghetto. During that time some diplomats likeRaoul Wallenberg gave protective passports to some Jews, which protected them from deportation. Germans argued they weren't valid according to international law, but Szálasi's government accepted them nevertheless.[11] His government promotedmartial law andcourts-martial, and executed those who were considered dangerous for the state and the continuation of the war. During Szálasi's rule, Hungarian tangible assets (cattle, machinery, wagons, industrial raw materials, etc.) were sent to Germany. He conscripted young and old into the remainingHungarian Army and sent them into hopeless battles against the Red Army.
Szálasi's rule only lasted 163 days, partly because by the time he took power, the Red Army was already deep inside Hungary. For all intents and purposes, his authority was limited to a narrowing band in the centre of the country, including Budapest. On 19 November 1944, Szálasi was in the Hungarian capital whenSoviet andRomanian forces began encircling it. By the time the city was encircled and the 102-daySiege of Budapest began, he was gone. The "Leader of the Nation" (Nemzetvezető) fled toSzombathely on 9 December. By March 1945, Szálasi was inVienna just prior to theVienna Offensive. Later, he fled toMunich.[12]
The Arrow Cross Party's cabinet, which had fled Hungary, was dissolved on 7 May 1945, a day beforeGermany's surrender.[13] Szálasi was captured by American troops inMattsee on 6 May[13] and returned to Hungary on 3 October. He was tried by the People's Tribunal in Budapest in open sessions begun in February 1946, and sentenced to death for war crimes and high treason.
Szálasi was hanged on 12 March 1946 inBudapest, along with two of his former ministers,Gábor Vajna andKároly Beregfy, and the party ideologistJózsef Gera. The hanging was conducted in the Austrian pole method. A large post had a rope attached to a hook at the top. Szálasi was marched up steps, placed with his back to the post, his legs and arms were tied, the noose placed around his neck, the rope tightened, and the steps were removed. With the post only leaving a couple feet between Szálasi and the ground it is likely that he died slowly due to strangulation rather than being instantaneously rendered unconscious and dying shortly after as would happen when utilizing thestandard drop. This would also explain why his arms and legs were bound as to prevent struggle during the process.[14] Before being executed, Szálasi received thelast sacraments by aCatholic priest.[15]
Thirty-two photos of the hanging were donated to theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum.[14] Other photographs of the execution are on display in the Holocaust Room of theBudapest Jewish Museum.
On 13 March 1946, the day after Szálasi's death, the National Council of People's Tribunals discussed the convicted politicians' plea for mercy and recommended its refusal to Justice MinisterIstván Ries, when Szálasi and his ministers were already executed. Ries forwarded the decision to PresidentZoltán Tildy, who subsequently approved the death sentence and execution on 15 March 1946.[16]
Szálasi was buried in Rákoskeresztúr New Public Cemetery in the Budapest Capital District, Budapest, Hungary, plot 298. In 2008, historian Tamás Kovács claimed thePolitical Department of the Hungarian State Police (PRO; predecessor of the fearedsecret policeState Protection Authority) falsified his name and birth certificate, and buried him as "Ferenc Lukács" in section 298 of theNew Public Cemetery.[17] Other historians, however, rejected this claim, since no written source could be found.
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|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Miklós Horthy (as regent) | Leader of the Nation 1944–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Hungary (de facto) 1944–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Religion and Education Acting 1945 | Succeeded by |
