Pál Teleki (1879-1941)

This is a revised second edition of the highly praised biography of Pál Teleki by Balázs Ablonczy originally released in 2006 in English. Revised and updated by the author this work remains the seminal historical work on the controversial career of the 20th Century Hungarian politician. Teleki was a geographer, a university professor, a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and chief scout of the Hungarian Scout Association. He twice served as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1920-1921 and 1939-1941. In his second term as Prime Minister, Teleki tried to keep Hungary neutral through the early stages of World War II while cooperating with Nazi Germany in attempts to regain Hungarian territory lost at the end of WWI. Spurred by the single biggest issue that Hungarian leaders faced during the inter-war period, a sentiment shared by most of the nation, that Hungarian lands lost in the Treaty of Trianon be restored to Hungary proper. Teleki remains a controversial figure to this day as he contributed greatly to Hungary's pro-German policy as a result, including its increasingly repressive anti-Jewish laws. During these years his efforts were focused on preserving Hungarian autonomy at all costs. He committed suicide on April 3 1941 when German troops crossed Hungary in order to invade Yugoslavia, ending any prospect of neutrality for Hungary.