Geographer of the “Red map” who was twice prime minister and killed himself in 1941 as German troops crossed Hungary
Born in Budapest to an aristocratic family from Transylvania, he was a geographer, university professor, member of the Academy of Sciences and chief scout of the Hungarian Scout Association. In 1918–19 he compiled the “Red map” of ethnic distribution based on the 1910 census. As foreign minister he attended the signing of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, became prime minister in July and led the government of the numerus clausus period until April 1921. Prime minister again from 1939, he wrote the preamble to the Second Anti-Jewish Law and prepared the Third. He killed himself on 3 April 1941 when German troops were about to cross Hungary to invade Yugoslavia.
Activities and affiliations
- 1920–1941 Government and administration · Hungary
Career Timeline
- 1918–1919Compiles the “Red map”
- 1920Foreign minister at the signing of Trianon
- 1920–1921Prime minister
- 1938Minister of education
- 1939–1941Prime minister
- 1941Suicide
Related historical events
- 1919–1938The Horthy regime: from the White Terror to the turn to the rightPrime minister (1920–1921)Drew the Red map, headed the government when the numerus clausus passed, and stepped down after King Charles’s first return attempt.
- 1938–1944.03Hungary on the Axis side: from the Vienna Awards to the DonPrime minister 1939–1941Introduced the Second Jewish Law and labour service and signed the Tripartite Pact, but killed himself over the invasion of Yugoslavia.