Hungary

1790

The articles of the 1790 diet set out that the diet should meet at least once every 3 years, but, since the diet was called by the Habsburg monarchy, this promise was not kept on several occasions thereafter.

1820

In the 1820s, the Emperor was forced to convene the Diet, which marked the beginning of a Reform Period (1825–1848, reformkor).

1825

The Hungarian Parliament was reconvened in 1825 to handle financial needs.

1844

The country switched to using the Latin language, and until as late as 1844, Latin remained the official language of Hungary.

1848

Many reformers (Lajos Kossuth, Mihály Táncsics) were imprisoned by the authorities. On 15 March 1848, mass demonstrations in Pest and Buda enabled Hungarian reformists to push through a list of 12 demands.

Following the war of 18481849, the whole country was in "passive resistance". Because of external and internal problems, reforms seemed inevitable, and major military defeats of Austria forced the Habsburgs to negotiate the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, by which the dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary was formed.

1849

In July 1849 the Hungarian Parliament proclaimed and enacted the first laws of ethnic and minority rights in the world.

This made Artúr Görgey surrender in August 1849.

The leader of the Austrian army, Julius Jacob von Haynau, became governor of Hungary for a few months and ordered the execution of the 13 Martyrs of Arad, leaders of the Hungarian army, and Prime Minister Batthyány in October 1849.

1867

Following the war of 18481849, the whole country was in "passive resistance". Because of external and internal problems, reforms seemed inevitable, and major military defeats of Austria forced the Habsburgs to negotiate the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, by which the dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary was formed.

As a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, it was reconstituted in 1867.

1873

In 1873, the old capital Buda and Óbuda were officially united with Pest, thus creating the new metropolis of Budapest.

1890

The formerly backward Hungarian economy became relatively modern and industrialised by the turn of the 20th century, although agriculture remained dominant until 1890.

1916

The troops raised in the Kingdom of Hungary spent little time defending the actual territory of Hungary, with the exceptions of the Brusilov Offensive in June 1916, and a few months later, when the Romanian army made an attack into Transylvania, both of which were repelled.

In 1916 Emperor Franz Joseph died, and the new monarch Charles IV sympathized with the pacifists.

1918

On the Italian front, the Austro-Hungarian army made no progress against Italy after January 1918.

By 1918, the economic situation had deteriorated (strikes in factories were organised by leftist and pacifist movements) and uprisings in the army had become commonplace.

Austria-Hungary signed a general armistice in Padua on 3 November 1918.

In October 1918, Hungary's union with Austria was dissolved. === Between the World Wars (1918–1941) === Following the First World War, Hungary underwent a period of profound political upheaval, beginning with the Aster Revolution in 1918, which brought the social-democratic Mihály Károlyi to power as Prime Minister.

1919

In March 1919, communists led by Béla Kun ousted the Károlyi government and proclaimed the Hungarian Soviet Republic (Tanácsköztársaság), followed by a thorough Red Terror campaign.

Despite some successes on the Czechoslovak front, Kun's forces were ultimately unable to resist the Romanian invasion; by August 1919, Romanian troops occupied Budapest and ousted Kun. In November 1919, rightist forces led by former Austro-Hungarian admiral Miklós Horthy entered Budapest; exhausted by the war and its aftermath, the populace accepted Horthy's leadership.

1920

In January 1920, parliamentary elections were held and Horthy was proclaimed Regent of the reestablished Kingdom of Hungary, inaugurating the so-called "Horthy era" (Horthy-kor).

The new government worked quickly to normalize foreign relations while turning a blind eye to a White Terror that swept through the countryside; extrajudicial killings of suspected communists and Jews lasted well into 1920.

1924

The Hungarian National Bank—founded in 1924, after the dissolution of Austro-Hungarian Empire—is currently focusing on price stability with an inflation target of 3%. ===Science and technology=== Hungary's achievements in science and technology have been significant, and research and development efforts form an integral part of the country's economy.

1938

The Great Depression further exacerbated the situation and the popularity of fascist politicians such as Gyula Gömbös and Ferenc Szálasi, promising economic and social recovery, rose. Horthy's nationalist agenda reached its apogee in 1938 and 1940, when the Nazis rewarded Hungary's staunchly pro-Germany foreign policy in the First and Second Vienna Awards, respectively, peacefully restoring ethnic-Hungarian-majority areas lost after Trianon.

1939

In 1939, Hungary regained further territory from Czechoslovakia through force.

1940

The Great Depression further exacerbated the situation and the popularity of fascist politicians such as Gyula Gömbös and Ferenc Szálasi, promising economic and social recovery, rose. Horthy's nationalist agenda reached its apogee in 1938 and 1940, when the Nazis rewarded Hungary's staunchly pro-Germany foreign policy in the First and Second Vienna Awards, respectively, peacefully restoring ethnic-Hungarian-majority areas lost after Trianon.

Hungary formally joined the Axis Powers on 20 November 1940, and in 1941, participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia, gaining some of its former territories in the south. === World War II (1941–1945) === Hungary formally entered World War II as an Axis Power on 26 June 1941, declaring war on the Soviet Union after unidentified planes bombed Kassa, Munkács, and Rahó.

Temperature extremes are on 20 July 2007 at Kiskunhalas in the summer and on 16 February 1940 Miskolc-Görömbölytapolca in the winter.

1941

Hungary formally joined the Axis Powers on 20 November 1940, and in 1941, participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia, gaining some of its former territories in the south. === World War II (1941–1945) === Hungary formally entered World War II as an Axis Power on 26 June 1941, declaring war on the Soviet Union after unidentified planes bombed Kassa, Munkács, and Rahó.

1943

Despite some early successes, the Hungarian government began seeking a secret peace pact with the Allies after the Second Army suffered catastrophic losses at the River Don in January 1943.

1944

Learning of the planned defection, German troops occupied Hungary on 19 March 1944 to guarantee Horthy's compliance.

By October 1944, the Soviets had reached the river Tisza, and despite some losses, succeeded in encircling and besieging Budapest in December. After German occupation, Hungary participated in the Holocaust.

During the German occupation in May–June 1944, the Arrow Cross and Hungarian police deported nearly 440,000 Jews, mainly to Auschwitz.

1945

In addition to the over 600,000 Hungarian Jews killed, as many as 280,000 other Hungarians were raped, murdered and executed or deported for slave labour by Czechoslovaks, Soviet Red Army troops, and Yugoslavs. On 13 February 1945, Budapest surrendered; by April, German troops left the country under Soviet military occupation.

1947

202,000 ethnic Germans were expelled to Germany, and through the 1947 Paris Peace Treaties, Hungary was again reduced to its immediate post-Trianon borders. === Communism (1945–1989) === Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, Hungary became a satellite state of the Soviet Union.

1948

In the ensuing purges, approximately 350,000 officials and intellectuals were imprisoned or executed from 1948 to 1956.

1949

The Soviet leadership selected Mátyás Rákosi to front the Stalinization of the country, and Rákosi de facto ruled Hungary from 1949 to 1956.

1953

Some 600,000 Hungarians were deported to Soviet labour camps, where at least 200,000 died. After Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet Union pursued a programme of destalinization that was inimical to Rákosi, leading to his deposition.

1955

Hungary joined the Warsaw Pact in May 1955, as societal dissatisfaction with the regime swelled.

The Hungarian economy is fairly open and relies strongly on international trade. Hungary has been a member of the United Nations since December 1955 and a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, the WTO, the World Bank, the AIIB and the IMF.

1956

Following the failed 1956 revolution, Hungary became a comparatively freer, though still repressive, member of the Eastern Bloc.

The Soviet leadership selected Mátyás Rákosi to front the Stalinization of the country, and Rákosi de facto ruled Hungary from 1949 to 1956.

In the ensuing purges, approximately 350,000 officials and intellectuals were imprisoned or executed from 1948 to 1956.

Following the firing on peaceful demonstrations by Soviet soldiers and secret police, and rallies throughout the country on 23 October 1956, protesters took to the streets in Budapest, initiating the 1956 Revolution.

Though the preponderance of the Soviets was immense, they suffered heavy losses, and by 30 October 1956, most Soviet troops had withdrawn from Budapest to garrison the countryside.

1958

Nagy was secretly tried, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by hanging in June 1958.

1960

From the 1960s through the late 1980s, Hungary was often referred to as "the happiest barrack" within the Eastern bloc.

1963

In 1963, the government granted a general amnesty and released the majority of those imprisoned for their active participation in the uprising.

1968

The living standard rose as consumer goods and food production took precedence over military production, which was reduced to one-tenth of pre-revolutionary levels. In 1968, the New Economic Mechanism (NEM) introduced free-market elements into the socialist command economy.

1980

From the 1960s through the late 1980s, Hungary was often referred to as "the happiest barrack" within the Eastern bloc.

In the 1980s, however, living standards steeply declined again due to a worldwide recession to which communism was unable to respond.

1989

On 23 October 1989, Hungary became a democratic parliamentary republic.

By the time Kádár died in 1989, the Soviet Union was in steep decline and a younger generation of reformists saw liberalization as the solution to economic and social issues. === Third Republic (1989–present) === Hungary's transition from communism to democracy and capitalism (rendszerváltás, "regime change") was peaceful and prompted by economic stagnation, domestic political pressure, and changing relations with other Warsaw Pact countries.

Although the MSzMP began Round Table Talks with various opposition groups in March 1989, the reburial of Imre Nagy as a revolutionary martyr that June is widely considered the symbolic end of communism in Hungary.

The current political landscape in Hungary is dominated by the conservative Fidesz, who have a near supermajority, and two medium-sized parties, the left-wing Democratic Coalition (DK) and liberal Momentum. The democratic character of the Hungarian parliament was reestablished with the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of communist dictatorship in 1989.

Hungary since 1989 has also improved its often frosty neighbourly relations by signing basic treaties with Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

Hungary since 1989 has signed all of the OSCE documents, and served as the OSCE's Chairman-in-Office in 1997. === Military === The President holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces.

1990

Free elections were held in May 1990, and the Hungarian Democratic Forum, a major conservative opposition group, was elected to the head of a coalition government.

This parliamentary election was the 7th since the 1990 first multi-party election.

1991

József Antall became the first democratically elected Prime Minister since World War II. With the removal of state subsidies and rapid privatization in 1991, Hungary was affected by a severe economic recession.

1994

The Antall government's austerity measures proved unpopular, and the Communist Party's legal and political heir, the Socialist Party, won the subsequent 1994 elections.

Hungary joined the Partnership for Peace programme in 1994 and has actively supported the IFOR and SFOR missions in Bosnia.

1996

The role of the counties are basically administrative and focus on strategic development, while preschools, public water utilities, garbage disposal, elderly care, and rescue services are administered by the municipalities. Since 1996, the counties and City of Budapest have been grouped into seven regions for statistical and development purposes.

1997

Hungary since 1989 has signed all of the OSCE documents, and served as the OSCE's Chairman-in-Office in 1997. === Military === The President holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces.

1998

This abrupt shift in the political landscape was repeated in 1998 and 2002; each electoral cycle, the governing party was ousted and the erstwhile opposition elected.

1999

Like most other post-communist European states, however, Hungary broadly pursued an integrationist agenda, joining NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

2001

In a significant move for modernisation, Hungary decided in 2001 to buy 14 JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft for about 800 million EUR.

2002

This abrupt shift in the political landscape was repeated in 1998 and 2002; each electoral cycle, the governing party was ousted and the erstwhile opposition elected.

2004

Hungary joined the European Union in 2004 and has been part of the Schengen Area since 2007. Hungary is a middle power in international affairs, owing mostly to its cultural and economic influence.

Like most other post-communist European states, however, Hungary broadly pursued an integrationist agenda, joining NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

2005

Items from the Bibliotheca Corviniana were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2005. The serfs and common people considered him a just ruler because he protected them from excessive demands and other abuses by the magnates.

2006

As a NATO member, Hungary was involved in the Yugoslav Wars. In 2006, major protests erupted after it was revealed that Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány had claimed in a private speech that his party "lied" to win the recent elections.

In October 2019, the opposition won mayoral election in capital Budapest, meaning prime minister Orbán and the Fidesz-KDNP governing coalition got first major electoral blow since 2006. In March 2020, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Hungarian parliament passed a law granting the Government the power to rule by decree to the extent it is necessary to diminish the consequences of the pandemic, suspending by-elections and outlawing the "spreading of misinformation".

2007

Hungary joined the European Union in 2004 and has been part of the Schengen Area since 2007. Hungary is a middle power in international affairs, owing mostly to its cultural and economic influence.

Temperature extremes are on 20 July 2007 at Kiskunhalas in the summer and on 16 February 1940 Miskolc-Görömbölytapolca in the winter.

Since 2007, the Hungarian Armed Forces has been under a unified command structure.

Unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2017 September, down from 11% during the financial crisis of 2007–08. Hungary is part of the European single market which represents more than 508 million consumers.

2008

This merger took place in January 2008.

2009

The cabinet reports to parliament. In 2009 Hungary, due to strong economic difficulties, had to request the help of the IMF for about €9 billion.

2010

The popularity of left-wing parties plummeted in the ensuing political upheaval, and in 2010, Viktor Orbán's national-conservative Fidesz was elected to a parliamentary supermajority.

In 2014, Hungary counted 2,651 full-time equivalent researchers per million inhabitants, steadily increasing from 2,131 in 2010 and compares with 3,984 in the US or 4,380 in Germany.

2011

The debt-to-GDP ratio of Hungary had its peak in 2011 when it stood at 83% and decreased since then.

Hungary took on the presidency of the Council of the European Union for half a year in 2011 and the next will be in 2024.

2012

The Hungarian political system operates under a framework reformed in 2012; this constitutional document is the Fundamental Law of Hungary.

It was the second election according to the new Constitution of Hungary which went into force on 1 January 2012.

In 2012, the government adopted a resolution in which it pledged to increase defence spending to 1.4% of GDP by 2022. Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime.

Until 2012 three individuals: Csoma, János Bolyai and Tihanyi were included in the UNESCO Memory of the world register as well as the collective contributions: Tabula Hungariae and Bibliotheca Corviniana.

2014

Although these developments were met with and still engender controversy, Fidesz secured a second parliamentary supermajority in 2014 and a third in 2018. In September 2018, the European parliament voted to act against Hungary, under the terms of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.

Major industries include food processing, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, information technology, chemicals, metallurgy, machinery, electrical goods, and tourism (in 2014 Hungary welcomed 12.1 million international tourists). Hungary is the largest electronics producer in Central and Eastern Europe.

The capital is a significant economic hub, classified as an Alpha – world city in the study by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and it is the second fastest-developing urban economy in Europe as GDP per capita in the city increased by 2.4 per cent and employment by 4.7 per cent compared to the previous year in 2014.

In 2014, Hungary counted 2,651 full-time equivalent researchers per million inhabitants, steadily increasing from 2,131 in 2010 and compares with 3,984 in the US or 4,380 in Germany.

2015

The government achieved a budget deficit 1.9% of the GDP in 2015.

In 2015, Hungary was the fifth largest OECD Non-DAC donor of development aid in the world, which represents 0.13% of its Gross National Income. Hungary's capital city, Budapest, is home to more than 100 embassies and representative bodies as an international political actor.

The country has more than $100 billion export in 2015 with high, $9.003 billion trade surplus, of which 79% went to the EU and 21% was extra-EU trade.

Hungary continues to be one of the leading nations for attracting foreign direct investment in Central and Eastern Europe, the inward FDI in the country was $119.8 billion in 2015, while Hungary invests more than $50 billion abroad.

On the national level, Budapest is the primate city of Hungary regarding business and economy, accounting for 39% of the national income, the city has a gross metropolitan product more than $100 billion in 2015, making it one of the largest regional economies in the European Union.

Furthermore, Hungary's corporate tax rate is only 9%, which is relatively low for EU states. Hungary maintains its own currency, the Hungarian forint (HUF), although the economy fulfills the Maastricht criteria with the exception of public debt, but it is also significantly below the EU average with the level of 75.3% in 2015.

Hungary spent 1.4% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on civil research and development in 2015, which is the 25th highest ratio in the world.

2016

According to Eurostat, the government gross debt of Hungary amounts to 25.119 billion HUF or 74.1% of its GDP in 2016.

In 2016, the armed forces had 31,080 personnel on active duty, the operative reserve brought the total number of troops to fifty thousand.

In 2016, it was planned that military spending the following year would be $1.21 billion, about 0.94% of the country's GDP, well below the NATO target of 2%.

Hungarian National Cyber Security Center was re-organised in 2016 in order to become more efficient through cyber security. In 2016, the Hungarian military had about 700 troops stationed in foreign countries as part of international peacekeeping forces, including 100 HDF troops in the NATO-led ISAF force in Afghanistan, 210 Hungarian soldiers in Kosovo under command of KFOR, and 160 troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Global Innovation Index places Hungary 33rd among the countries of the world in 2016.

2017

It is the thirteenth-most popular tourist destination in Europe, drawing 15.8 million international tourists in 2017.

Since 2017, the relations with Ukraine rapidly deteriorated over the issue of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

In the past 20 years Hungary has also grown into a major centre for mobile technology, information security, and related hardware research. The employment rate in the economy was 68.3% in 2017, the employment structure shows the characteristics of post-industrial economies, 63.2% of employed workforce work in service sector, the industry contributed by 29.7%, while agriculture with 7.1%.

Unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2017 September, down from 11% during the financial crisis of 2007–08. Hungary is part of the European single market which represents more than 508 million consumers.

2018

Although these developments were met with and still engender controversy, Fidesz secured a second parliamentary supermajority in 2014 and a third in 2018. In September 2018, the European parliament voted to act against Hungary, under the terms of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.

The last Hungarian parliamentary election took place on 8 April 2018.

As of 2018, twelve Hungarian scientists have been recipients of a Nobel Prize.

2019

Szijjártó alleged that the vote was fraudulent because abstentions were not counted which made it easier to reach the two-thirds majority required to pass the vote. At the European elections in May 2019, Viktor Orbán's Fidesz Party secured another a sweeping victory, receiving more than 50% of the votes.

In October 2019, the opposition won mayoral election in capital Budapest, meaning prime minister Orbán and the Fidesz-KDNP governing coalition got first major electoral blow since 2006. In March 2020, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Hungarian parliament passed a law granting the Government the power to rule by decree to the extent it is necessary to diminish the consequences of the pandemic, suspending by-elections and outlawing the "spreading of misinformation".

It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 2.25/10, ranking it 156th globally out of 172 countries. Hungary has 10 national parks, 145 minor nature reserves, and 35 landscape protection areas. Hungary is a landlocked country. === Climate === Hungary has a temperate seasonal climate, with generally warm summers with low overall humidity levels but frequent rainshowers and cold snowy winters.

2020

In October 2019, the opposition won mayoral election in capital Budapest, meaning prime minister Orbán and the Fidesz-KDNP governing coalition got first major electoral blow since 2006. In March 2020, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Hungarian parliament passed a law granting the Government the power to rule by decree to the extent it is necessary to diminish the consequences of the pandemic, suspending by-elections and outlawing the "spreading of misinformation".

The Government's special authorisation is in force until the pandemic is declared to have ended. The law granting the Government the power to rule by decree was lifted on 16 June 2020, as the emergency situation concerning the pandemic had ended. == Geography == Hungary's geography has traditionally been defined by its two main waterways, the Danube and Tisza rivers.




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