Arrow Cross Party (Hungarian National Socialist Party), 1932-1945

Collection

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

Title (official language):: Nyilaskeresztes Párt (Magyar Nemzetiszocialista Párt), 1932-1945

Scope and content:: The first part of the collection (Boxes1-3) contains the surviving records of the Hungarian National Socialist Party and its successor, the Arrow Cross Party, mostly from the time of the Second World War. The material includes the documents of party administration (registered as well as unregistered fragments), cashier’s and registry books, regulations, orders, circulars and other internal correspondence, an undated brief history of the party, programs and flyers of the Hungarian National Socialist Party and various extreme right wing splinter groups, speeches, studies and other publications of party leader Ferenc Szálasi, and other prominent figures, including Pál Vágó, Ödön Málnási, Gábor Vajna, László Budinszky and Lajos Gruber, bills (törvényjavaslat), proposals, interpellations by and correspondence of the party MPs, reports to the Great Council (nagytanács, the central governing body of the party) and meetings of county leaders, newspaper clippings, flyers and other party publications. The second and largest part of the collection contains the personal files of party members arranged into a card index (Boxes 4-56) in an alphabetical order from the years 1939-1945.

Archival history:: The personal files of party members (card index) were in the possession of the Ministry of Interior and its subordinate authorities (state security organs). Following the transition of 1989-90, the files were transferred to the Institute of History and its successor, the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security, and in 2006 were taken to the Hungarian National Archives.

Administrative/biographical history:: Established in March 1939 by journalist and politician Kálmán Hubay, the Hungarian National Socialist Party was one of the most influential groups of the pro-Nazi Hungarian extreme right wing during WWII. In 1940, the leadership of the party was assumed by Ferenc Szálasi, and the party was re-named Arrow Cross Party-Hungarist Movement in 1942. The party came to power on 15 October 1944, with German support, following Regent Horthy’s failed attempt to extricate from war, and ruled the western part of Hungary until April 1945, when the Soviet Red Army completed its occupation of Hungary.

Access points: persons/families:: Málnási, Ödön; Szálasi, Ferenc, 1897-1946; Vágó, Pál 1889-1982; Vajna, Gábor 1891-1946

Access, restrictions:: The card index is only accessible for researchers holding a special permission (letter of support) from an academic institution.

Finding aids:: A registry book is available for the records from 1938. The bulk of the material, however, requires item-level research.

Laczkó Miklós: Nyilasok, nemzetiszocialisták 1935-1944. Budapest, Kossuth, 1966.

Teleki Éva: Nyilas uralom Magyarországon 1944. október l6.-1945. április 4. Budapest, Kossuth, 1974.