Records of Prime Minister Béla Imrédy, 1939-1944

Collection

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

Scope and content:: The collection contains fragments of the semi-official correspondence of Béla Imrédy as Prime Minister and prominent figure of the Hungarian extreme right before and during WWII. A substantial part of his correspondence concerns the pro-Nazi Movement of Hungarian Life (subsequently the Party of Hungarian Renewal) established by him in 1938, an attempt to unify the extreme right under his leadership and assume power, and the brief period between the fall of his first and second cabinet (November 1938 - February 1939).

The material consists of the following main parts:

a) private correspondence, greeting cards and petitions

b) correspondence concerning the Movement of Hungarian Life

c) extreme right-wing propaganda material, including that of Imrédy’s political adversaries, the Arrow Cross Party

d) private correspondence concerning the dissolution of Imrédy’s first government and the formation of the second one.

Archival history:: A substantial part of the records were lost during the Second World War. The remaining parts were acquired by the Hungarian National Archives in 1948. The material was rearranged several times.

Administrative/biographical history:: Béla Imrédy (1891-1946) was a financial and economic expert, extreme right-wing politician and Prime Minister. He was the president of the Hungarian National Bank from 1935 to 1938, and Minister of Finance from 1932 to 1935. In 1938, he was Minister of Economy in the Darányi government, subsequently taking over the position of Prime Minister (14 May 1938 - 16 February 1939). He played a key role in the preparation of the First and Second “Jewish Laws” (Act XV of 1938 and Act IV of 1939). Due to his attempts to create an autocratic reign and because of the extreme right-wing gaining political momentum, Regent Horthy forced him to resign. He was the leader of the extreme right-wing, antisemitic Hungarian Life Movement founded in January 1939. From 1940, he led the Hungarian Renewal Party, a right wing splinter group of the governing party. From 23 May to 7 August 1944 he was minister without portfolio as Minister of Economy in the Sztójay government. After the war he was found guilty of war crimes, sentenced to death and executed.

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Antisemitism--Antisemitic legislation; Antisemitism--Antisemitic propaganda

System of arrangement:: Within the dossiers the material is arranged into thematic groups.

Finding aids:: No finding aids exist. The material requires item-level research.