Right-radical officer who organised the Szeged National Army and as prime minister in 1932–1936 steered Hungary towards Italy and Germany
Born in Murga, Tolna County, the son of the village schoolmaster, he served as an Austro-Hungarian officer in the First World War. In Szeged in 1919 he founded the paramilitary MOVE and played a leading role in organising Horthy’s National Army, and in 1921 he led the armed opposition to King Charles’s return. He became defence minister in Bethlen’s government in 1929 and prime minister in 1932. He aligned with Mussolini, signing the Rome Protocols in 1934, and as the first foreign head of government to visit Hitler concluded a trade agreement with Germany. He died of illness in Munich in 1936.
Activities and affiliations
- 1932–1936 Government and administration · Hungary
- 1919–1932 Military command · Hungary
Career Timeline
- 1919Founds MOVE; organises the National Army
- 1921Opposes King Charles’s return by force
- 1929Defence minister
- 1932–1936Prime minister
- 1934Signs the Rome Protocols