THE HUNGARIAN REVISIONISM ON THE EVE OF WORLD WAR II IN UKRAINIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY
THE HUNGARIAN REVISIONISM ON THE EVE OF WORLD WAR II IN UKRAINIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY

Summary/Abstract: Hungary’s foreign policy on the eve of World War II was characterized by a strong desire to overcome the “cage of Trianon” at any cost. Signed on June 4, 1920 at the Trianon Palace Versailles, the peace treaty between the Entente and the Kingdom of Hungary deprived the once powerful state of almost its territories, 2/3 of the population, 80% of natural resources, access to the sea and the chance to play a significant role in world politics. Vae victis was so stunning and strong that June 4 is still considered a day of national mourning in Hungary. Not surprisingly, the interwar period was a time of feverish search for a way out of the “national catastrophe”, which pushed Budapest directly into the arms of another country that felt a strong desire to restore historical justice and revenge for the unjust humiliation of Germany. The aim of the work is to try to systematize the main scientific works of Ukrainian historians on key events in Hungarian foreign policy on the eve of World War II. These include, in addition to the direct occupation of Podkarpatská Rus the First Vienna Arbitration on November 2, 1938, and the Little War on March 23–31, 1939, during which the Kingdom of Hungary decided to force the newly formed Slovak Republic to reconsider its existing borders. Among the methods used in writing the work, we note the means of specific historiographical analysis and the method of historiographical synthesis. As a result of the research the main works of Ukrainian scientists are considered, in which the peculiarities of these events are revealed. An attempt is made to analyze what key issues were raised and how the focus of attention changed in the study of these events. It is concluded that attention is mostly focused on the fact that most studies of Hungary’s foreign policy at this time are considered in the context of the Ukrainian state-building process. In addition to the direct chronology of the Hungarian occupation, researchers often consider the importance of Zakarpattia in Budapest’s plans, the Hungarian-Polish rapprochement and the activities of their joint sabotage groups, the activities of a pro-Hungarian agency in Podkarpatská Rus, and the world community’s reaction to Hungarian aggression. The degree of research of the “Little War” and its relative novelty for Ukrainian historical thought is characterized.

• Details
• Contents