Weak brothers
Poland and Hungary in the inter-war years
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Hungary was a loser in the First World War, while Poland was a winner. Yet the devastation left behind by the war meant that both countries faced similar challenges. Violence was endemic, and poverty was widespread. Most people were indifferent to democracy, which made it impossible for it to take root. Anti-Semitism forged a path through to the centre of society, while the governments curtailed civil liberties to an increasing extent in the name of a ‘national rebirth’ and ‘purity of the nation’. The development of both countries took an authoritarian turn.
(Osteuropa 3-5/2018, pp. 369–386)