GYÖRGY RÉTI

Le relazioni ungaro-italiane dall'Anschluss all'occupazione della Rutenia Subcarpatica (1938-39)

N. 4/1987

Summary — This essay — part of an ampler study on the Hungarian-Italian relations during the 1930s — analyzes the antecedents and the consequences of the Munich Treaty from the point of view of the Hungarian-Italian collaboration. The a. has examined above all the records of the Hungarian State archives and those of the Historical archives of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After the Anschluss — that took place against Rome and Budapest’s interests —the Hungarian government saw its revisionistic requests realizable at the side of the Axis powers. But during his visit to Rome in July 1938 the new Prime Minister Béla Imrédy did not obtain satisfactory guarantees as regards Italy’s support should an eventual conflict with Prague have arisen. The Hungarian claims were not satisfied even by the Munich Treaty.

The first Vien arbitration — undersigned under the aegis of Ciano and Ribbentrop — did not meet Budapest’s ambitions. But in November 1938 the Hungarian government, owing to the protest made by Rome and Berlin, had to give up the attack against Subcarpathian Ruthenia.

To confirm its loyalty to the Axis, Budapest adhered to the Anticomintern Pact. When Hitler ordered to proclaim the "independent Slovakia" in March 1939, he gave the Subcarpathian Ruthenia to Hungary.

It was in that period that Mussolini told Ciano he world not raise any objection even in case of a German enslavement of Hungary.

The a. emphasizes that, by making an alliance with Hitletian Germany, the Rome and Budapest leaders were undermining the independence of their countries.