History paper by Bodó, Béla
Admiral Miklόs Horthy and the White Terror: Paramilitary and State Violence in Hungary, 1919-1921
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
This presentation examines the special relationship between Admiral Miklos Horthy, the Minister of War and later the Regent of Hungary, and the paramilitary groups responsible for the White Terror: a series of pogroms and atrocities committed against poor peasants and workers after the collapse of the Communist regime in Hungary in the summer of 1919. The lecture addresses such important historical questions as the failure of democracy in Central Europe and the emergence of fascism after the First World War. Beside such important historical questions, the presentation deals with, and is meant to provoke a debate on, highly relevant political questions, such as the nature of political decision-making in modern states, war crimes and the political and military leaders' responsibility for the atrocities committed by their subordinates.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):