Records of the Democratic Society of Hungarians in France, 1925-1949

Collection description

Holding institution (official language):: Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Országos Levéltára

Title:: Records of the Democratic Society of Hungarians in France, 1925-1949

Title (official language):: Franciaországi magyarok demokratikus egyesülete, 1925-1949

Scope and content:: The records of the Democratic Society of Hungarians in France holds material pertaining to Hungarian Jewish emigrants in France, anti-Nazi activities of the clandestine Hungarian movements and rescue activities. The most important part of the collection is thematic unit no. 11, which holds the records of the Hungarian Jewish Rescue Committee in Paris.

Archival history:: The surviving records of the society were handed over to the Hungarian National Archives in the 1950s. The material was arranged in the 1960s.

Administrative/biographical history:: Hungarian Independence Movement (Magyar Függetlenségi Mozgalom) was one of the major organisations established by social democratic, liberal and other leftist emigrants. During WWII, it was an umbrella organisation for all anti-Nazi Hungarians. Its journal, the Hungarian Review (Magyar Szemle), published several articles from 1943 onwards that criticised the policy of the Hungarian governments. Hungarian Independence Movement changed its name to Democratic Society of Hungarians in France (Franciaországi Magyarok Demokratikus Egyesülete) in 1947.

System of arrangement:: The material is arranged according to thematic units.

Finding aids:: Ferenc Nagy, ed. Külügyminisztérium levéltára. Vols 2. Budapest: MOL, 2003.

Source: Borbándi Gyula: A magyar emigráció életrajza 1945-1985. The Hague, Mikes International, 2006.