Hungarian Conservative

‘The apocalyptic notion of overpopulation, which is taught in grade schools, instilled in centers of higher education, and pushed by NGOs, has even drawn together conservative politicians with their left colleagues, though for different motives. The latter sustain the pretext of saving the environment at all cost, even at the cost of human beings themselves. The former, instead, argue on the vitality of offsetting the growing fertility among immigrants with that of their decreasing indigenous population.’

Pál Teleki, prime minister of Hungary in the interwar era, was probably one of the most tragic figures of twentieth century Hungarian history. He was torn between his conscience and geopolitical reality, a tension he could only resolve by ending his own life as a shocking act of protest.

While resistance to Hitler and Nazism is widely researched and celebrated, those who opposed National Socialism from the right are often forgotten. Zoltán Pető therefore attempts to shed light on a lesser-known chapter of anti-Nazi resistance.

The Germans had demanded the deportation of the Hungarian Jewry long before the German occupation. A note in October 1942, in which German Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Luther summarised his negotiations with Sztójay, the Hungarian ambassador in Berlin at the time, openly mentions the German demand and the fact that it had come directly from Adolf Hitler. According to the text, the ‘handling’ of Jews in Hungary is ‘urgent’.