Thomas L. Sakmyster (born 1943) is an American professor emeritus of history of the University of Cincinnati, known for his studies of early 20th-century Hungary, including the "first full-length scholarly study of Hungary's most controversial figure" of the 20th century and the "most important work on the admiral to date", Miklós Horthy, as well as a meticulously-researched even-handed biography of the Hungarian-Soviet spy J. Peters. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Thomas L. Sakmyster was born in 1943 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. In 1965, he received a BA from Dartmouth. In 1967, he received an MA and in 1971 a doctorate, both in history, from Indiana University. His dissertation was on Hungary and the Coming of the European Crisis, 1937-1938. [1]
In 1971, Sakmyster began to teach history at the University of Cincinnati. [1] In 1985, he served as director of graduate studies. [7] As of 1995, he served as Walter Langsam Professor of European History. [1] In 2003, he served as acting chair of History. [8] In 2005, he retired and in 2007 became professor emeritus. [1]
Sakmyster's works include:
Books:
Articles:
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya, was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who served as the regent of the Kingdom of Hungary between the two World Wars and throughout most of World War II – from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944.
Döme Sztójay was a Hungarian soldier and diplomat of Serb origin, who served as Prime Minister of Hungary in 1944, during World War II.
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen I at Esztergom around the year 1000; his family led the monarchy for 300 years. By the 12th century, the kingdom became a European middle power within the Western world.
Gyula Gömbös de Jákfa was a Hungarian military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1 October 1932 to his death.
The Hungarian Communist Party, known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary, was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar period and briefly after World War II.
Count István Bethlen de Bethlen was a Hungarian aristocrat and statesman and served as prime minister from 1921 to 1931.
Dr. Miklós Kállay de Nagykálló was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary during World War II, from 9 March 1942 to 22 March 1944. By early 1942, Hungary's regent Admiral Horthy was seeking to put some distance between himself and Hitler's regime. He dismissed the pro-German prime minister László Bárdossy, and replaced him with Kállay, a moderate whom Horthy expected to loosen Hungary's ties to Germany. Kállay successfully sabotaged economic cooperation with Nazi Germany, protected refugees and prisoners, resisted Nazi pressure regarding Jews, established contact with the Allies and negotiated conditions under which Hungary would switch sides against Germany. However the Allies were not close enough. When the Germans occupied Hungary in March 1944 Kállay went into hiding. He was finally captured by the Nazis, but was liberated when the war ended.
Gyula Count Károlyi de Nagykároly in English: Julius Károlyi was a conservative Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1931 to 1932. He had previously been prime minister of the counter-revolutionary government in Szeged for several months in 1919. As prime minister, he generally tried to continue the moderate conservative policies of his predecessor, István Bethlen, although with less success.
John Pepper, also known as József Pogány and Joseph Pogany, was a Hungarian Communist politician. He later served as a functionary in the Communist International (Comintern) in Moscow, before being cashiered in 1929. Later an official in the Soviet government, Pepper ran afoul of the secret police and was executed during the Great Terror of 1937–38.
Magdolna Vilma Benedikta Purgly de Jószáshely was the wife of Admiral Miklós Horthy.
After Miklós Horthy was chosen Regent of Hungary on 1 March 1920, Charles I of Austria, who reigned in Hungary as Charles IV, made two unsuccessful attempts to retake the throne. His attempts are also called the "First" and "Second Royal coups d'état" respectively.
After the collapse of a short-lived Communist regime, according to historian István Deák:
During World War II, the Kingdom of Hungary was a member of the Axis powers. In the 1930s, the Kingdom of Hungary relied on increased trade with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany to pull itself out of the Great Depression. Hungarian politics and foreign policy had become more stridently nationalistic by 1938, and Hungary adopted an irredentist policy similar to Germany's, attempting to incorporate ethnic Hungarian areas in neighboring countries into Hungary. Hungary benefited territorially from its relationship with the Axis. Settlements were negotiated regarding territorial disputes with the Czechoslovak Republic, the Slovak Republic, and the Kingdom of Romania. On November 20, 1940, Hungary became the fourth member to join the Axis powers when it signed the Tripartite Pact. The following year, Hungarian forces participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia and the invasion of the Soviet Union. Their participation was noted by German observers for its particular cruelty, with occupied peoples subjected to arbitrary violence. Hungarian volunteers were sometimes referred to as engaging in "murder tourism."
The Kingdom of Hungary, sometimes referred to as the Regency or the Horthy era, existed as a country from 1920 to 1946 under the rule of Regent Miklós Horthy, who nominally represented the Hungarian monarchy. In reality there was no king, and attempts by King Charles IV to return to the throne shortly before his death were prevented by Horthy.
The Government of National Unity was a fascist puppet government of Hungary, which ruled the German-occupied Kingdom of Hungary during the Second World War in eastern Europe. After the joint coup d’état with which the Nazis and the Arrow Cross Party overthrew the government of the Regent of Hungary, Miklós Horthy, the Arrow Cross fascists established the Government of National Unity on 16 October 1944.
The Order of Vitéz is a Hungarian order of merit which was founded in 1920. It was awarded as a state honour from 1920 to 1944, and continues as a semi-independent order of chivalry under Captain General vitéz József Károly von Habsburg.
The Regent of Hungary was a position established in 1446 and renewed in 1920. It was held by Admiral Miklós Horthy until 1944. Under Hungary's Constitution there were two regents, one a regent of the ruling house, called the Nádor, and another called "Kormányzó". As the Entente had banned the legitimate Nádor from taking his place, the choice fell on electing a governor-regent: Admiral Horthy was chosen. Thus, he was regent of the post-World War I state called the Kingdom of Hungary and served as the head of state in the absence of a monarch, while a prime minister served as head of government. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary".
Vitéz Kocsárd Janky de Bulcs was a Hungarian military officer, who served as Chief of Army Staff between 1922 and 1930.
The Battle of Budaörs was a minor armed clash on 23–24 October 1921 between the governmental forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and the loyalist forces of Charles IV of Hungary, who tried to reclaim the throne of Hungary after his resignation in 1918.
The White Terror in Hungary was a two-year period (1919–1921) of repressive violence by counter-revolutionary soldiers, carried out to destroy any supporters of Hungary's short-lived Soviet republic and its Red Terror. Tens of thousands were imprisoned without trial and as many as 1,000 people were killed; many of the victims were Jewish.