2-WWII+Hungary+OT

1. During World War 2 Hungary was part of the Axis powers, and it was heavily influenced by Nazi Germany and also Fascist Italy. In fact Hungary heavily leaned on these two countries to support it and get it out of its Great Depression, and due to this prominent influence in Hungary, politics and foreign policy became increasingly pro fascist and pro German. Hungary was also very inclined to help Germany because when the Germans were redrawing national boundaries Hungary was able to regain some of its lost land with German and Italian help. The fact that Hungary needed a lot of help was a very key factor that led to it getting engulfed into the Axis powers in 1940, and it was also greatly indebted to Germany and Italy as well.

2. Hungary did not want to directly partake in the war, they simply wanted to stand back and help, they had no intention of direct involvement. However this all changed in 1940 when Germany pressured Hungary to join the Axis Powers, and Hungarian troops were sent to partake in the invasion of Yugoslavia and also the invasion of the Soviet Union. Subsequently as German gained more and more of a presence in Hungary, Hungarian Jews were persecuted and sent off to concentration camps. Initially the Hungarian Jews were protected from deportation to the death and concentration camps, however by 1944 Hungary could not stop their jews from being deported.

3. There was no real massive uprising that went against the Germans or an other opponent, rather there were smaller militant groups that tried to fight for the Hungarian people's rights. Most of the time these groups would put up a fight, but then be overpowered or run ow on resources and were forced to surrender. These groups killed many Hungarian people, who were fighting to defend their people and their land from the Germans. The Germans became very strict with the Hungarians after they found out that they had signed a secret peace treaty with the US and UK while fighting the Soviets. Due to this betrayal Hitler occupied Hungary, and began to rule over the people with an iron fist.

4. After German troops occupied Hungary, mass deportations of Jews to German death camps in occupied Poland began. Many of the people who were deported included men, woman and children. Granted we all know what fate those who were deported to death camps had. Woman and children were killed by firing squads and gas chambers. Many however also died due to the hard labour they were forced to perform on a daily basis, and that coupled with the lack of food and water greatly weakened their bodies until they could no longer go on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary_in_World_War_II http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005458 http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005457