The Magyars (known as Hungarians in most western languages, including English) were a nomadic people from the Eurasian plains until the ninth century, when they settled in the plains around the middle Danube river, the area that is now Hungary. The Hungarians established a kingdom, which existed until the Mongolian conquest in 1241?. After that, most Hungarian kings were from abroad, until 1541?, when the Turks conquered Hungary and divided it in three parts. The northern and western parts went to Austria, Transylvania became independent (and a Turkish vassal state), and the central area, including the dual capital of Buda and Pest (joined to become the city of Budapest? in 1873), became Turkish. In 1699?, Austria conquered the area. In 1867, Hungary partly regained its independence, getting a separate parliament and some autonomy, but with still the emperor of Austria being monarch of both countries.
After World War I, the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy was ended in the so-called [Aster revolution]? (October 31, 1918). Hungary was declared a democratic republic (November 16), but this did not last long. On March 21, 1919, the Transsylvanian [Béla Kun]? led a communist revolt. Because he was unable to solve the hunger and other problems, and did not keep his promises (nationalising ground rather than redividing it among the poor farmers), he lost support among the population. He also did not get the help from the Soviet Union that he had hoped for. Romanian troops neared Budapest?, and Kun fled abroad - first to Austria, then to the Soviet Union. In 1937 he was killed by Stalin.
Kun's place as leader of Hungary was taken in by [Miklós Horthy]?, who established a fascist dictatorship (making Hungary precede Italy and Germany in becoming such). In the [Treaty of Trianon]? (July 4, 1920), Hungary finally made peace with its enemies from World War I, but at a high cost: More than half of Hungary became territory of Romania, Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia instead. In Hungary itself, state antisemitism? grew during the 1920s and 1930s. During World War II, Hungary was one of the minor Axis powers, and the Hungarians joined the Germans in their attack on the Soviet Union. Still, the Hungarian Jews were not deported to concentration camps like those in Germany and the conquered areas -- that is, not until the Germans invaded Hungary itself on March 19 1944. 437,000 Hungarian Jews were sent to Auschwitz in July.
Budapest was liberated by the Soviets on February 14, 1945, but this would soon prove to be little improvement. The Soviets started to randomly arrest people to get the quota that Stalin had set on opponents of communism to be deported to Siberia?. In 1956, a democratic revolt took place in Hungary, the [Hungarian Revolt]?, which was ended by a brutal military intervention from the Soviet Union. Only in 1988 the Hungarians were able to end the Communist dictatorship, and become a democracy instead. Since then, Hungary has tried to reform its economy and increase its connections with western Europe, hoping to become a member of the European Union as soon as possible.
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