THE LAST DAYS OF BUDAPEST

The fall of a “seductive city.”

Journalist and novelist LeBor, author of Hitler’s Secret Bankers: The Myth of Swiss Neutrality During the Holocaust, writes that losing World War I was no less disastrous for Hungary than for Germany. Formerly a full partner in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it emerged missing 70% of its former territory. LeBor describes Budapest as almost Parisian in its love of art, food, pleasure, and politics with an enormous cast of characters. He emphasizes that the Hungarian government’s obsession between the wars was to regain lost territories. Since that was also Hitler’s obsession, Nazism exerted a growing and malign influence. The nation remained neutral when Germany invaded Poland in 1939, but, under increasing pressure, joined Germany’s June 1941 invasion of Russia. During this period, the government remained in place. Unlike in Poland, there was no military occupation with the accompanying massive atrocities but plenty of scattered atrocities and antisemitic laws. Barely keeping Germany at arm’s length, Hungary maintained a fairly free press, political parties, trade unions, and cultural life until March 1944 when, with the Red Army drawing near, Germany took control and almost immediately began rounding up Jews. Following Hungary’s clumsy effort to switch sides in October, Germany gave power to its right-wing pro-Nazi party, which quickly began a reign of terror. One historian writes, “Nowhere else in Nazi-occupied Europe were Jews killed in public in such large numbers over such a long period of time.” With access to new documents and diaries, LeBor vividly recounts details of gruesome atrocities. He describes heroic figures who saved thousands of Jews but failed to save hundreds of thousands.

Uncovering grim but important history in Hungary’s capital.