Gheorghiu-Dej vs Miklos Horthy

Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej became General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party in October 1944, following the 1944 coup. He led the party during the transition to communist rule, consolidating power through purges and alliances.

Gheorghiu-Dej implemented a Soviet-style command economy, nationalizing major industries in 1948 and forcing collectivization of agriculture by 1962. These policies aimed at rapid industrialization but caused widespread hardship and resistance among peasants.

Gheorghiu-Dej ordered the construction of the Danube-Black Sea Canal, a massive infrastructure project using forced labor from political prisoners. The canal was intended to shorten shipping routes but was plagued by inefficiency and high mortality rates among workers.

Gheorghiu-Dej orchestrated the purge of Ana Pauker, Vasile Luca, and other 'Muscovite' communists who had spent the war in the Soviet Union. This eliminated his main rivals and solidified his control over the party, establishing a more nationalist communist line.

In April 1964, Gheorghiu-Dej issued the 'Declaration of Independence' from the Soviet Union, asserting Romania's right to pursue its own path to socialism. This policy included maintaining diplomatic relations with China and Albania, and opposing Soviet economic integration plans.

Following the collapse of the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the Treaty of Trianon, the Hungarian National Assembly appointed Horthy as Regent. He assumed head of state powers, ruling Hungary as a conservative authoritarian regime until 1944.

As regent, Horthy oversaw Hungary's acceptance of the Treaty of Trianon, which reduced Hungary's territory by two-thirds and population by half. The treaty caused national trauma and revanchist sentiment that defined Horthy's foreign policy.

Horthy aligned Hungary with Nazi Germany, joining the Tripartite Pact in November 1940. This alliance allowed Hungary to regain territories from Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia, but ultimately led to German occupation in 1944.

After Horthy attempted to negotiate a separate peace with the Allies, German forces occupied Hungary in March 1944. Horthy was forced to appoint a pro-German government and remained regent under German supervision until October.

In October 1944, Horthy announced an armistice with the Soviet Union, hoping to save Hungary from destruction. The attempt failed when German commandos kidnapped his son and forced Horthy to resign, installing a fascist Arrow Cross government.

After the war, Horthy was captured by American forces and held as a prisoner of war. Released in 1946, he went into exile in Estoril, Portugal, where he lived until his death in 1957, never returning to Hungary.