In World War II, there is an argument that Hungary was coerced by Germany because of the economic trouble Hungary was in during the Great Depression and the help that Germany provided, and they only allied with Germany to avoid being occupied. However, the Hungarian government willingly allied with Nazi Germany, despite Germany having already invaded many countries while World War II waged on.
With the Holocaust, Hungary paints a narrative that it was the Germans occupying Hungary who deported and removed the Hungarian Jewish population and coerced Hungary to participate. However, the Hungarian government, while allied with Germany, started the removal of the Hungarian Jewish people before Germany occupied Hungary. In fact, the Germans marveled at the efficiency with which Hungary forcibly removed their Jewish population during the Holocaust. Hungary implemented anti-Jewish laws that were directly inspired by Germany’s anti-Jewish laws.
Hungary’s history is something that its people struggle with today. But at the same time, there are many groups in Hungary that are pushing for remembrance that acknowledges both the good and the bad parts of Hungarian history. These groups want to recognize the harm that Hungary may have done in the past, encourage new generations to learn from it and ensure that the lessons of history are learned and not repeated in the future.
What are your thoughts on how a country with a complicated history can acknowledge and teach the good and bad parts of its history?
