The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

closed case – Please do something, at least let us save Sopron. (…) On hearing
the above, I immediately issued the necessary instructions within the battalion,
as well as to the associated irredentist organizations.” 245
The then-Foreign Minister, Miklós Bánffy, wrote in his memoirs that the
previously mentioned action plan regarding the situation of Western Hungary
was worked out in June of 1921 (in actual fact, the first half of April) during
meetings chaired by Prime Minister Bethlen. Bánffy sensed exactly that: “The
Hungarian public (i.e., the nation) felt the handing over as the greatest
humiliation. The two of us (i.e., with Bethlen—J.B.) also saw it that way.
Hence, we had to do something to prevent it. (…) We were certain that not only
the mostly German-speaking population of Sopron but also the local Hungarian
and Croat communities and also the German villages want to stay with us. It is
only the Germans of the Pinka [River] valley and along the Lajta [River] that
are drawn to Vienna, and they only because they sell their [fruit and vegetable]
produce in the Austrian capital and Graz.” It is not by accident that Bánffy
notes that organizing the population of Western Hungary posted to be handed
over was not his task, and hence he knew very little of the preparations. On the
other hand, he did mention that Interior Minister Gedeon Ráday “very carefully
hid his role, giving the impression that it was the people who were getting
ready to act in response.” 246 Also that neither former prime minister Friedrich,
nor Prónay (according to his cited memoirs) knew that the Hungarian
government was behind the movement.
In the end, armed resistance in Western Hungary was not organized by Col.
Lehár because he sided with Charles IV in his March 1921 attempt to regain the
throne, for which the new PM, Bethlen, in the weeks after assuming the post on
April 14, forced him into the background and relieved him of his command
with the Szombathely division. The armed resistance of the Borderland was
begun by the Etelköz Association [Etelköz was the first known Hungarian
principality, established circa 830AD. The territory was located around the
rivers Dnieper, southern Bug, Dniester, Prut and Siret-ed.] in May, whose
leadership PM Bethlen entrusted to one of his trustworthy men, a professional
soldier, staff captain Gyula Gömbös 247 because we know from historical
245 Prónay Pál emlékezései az 1921. évi nyugat-magyarországi eseményekről. Első rész
[Memoirs of Pál Prónay of the Western Hungary events of 1921. Part One]. In: Soproni
Szemle, 1986, issue 1, p. 27.
246 Bánffy, 1993, op. cit., pp. 66, 70.
247 Gyula Gömbös, born in 1886. During WWI, he served as a staff officer with the
XIII. Corps in occupied Serbia, then fought in East Galicia as a captain. He was
wounded in June, 1916. After his recovery, he was posted to the Defense Ministry.
After the armistice, he served as military attache in the Defense Ministry (Nov.-Dec.
1918), then head of operations for the Balkan theater (Dec. 1918-Jan. 1919). He
became the first president (Jan. 1919-Jan. 1925) of the Right-wing officers’ alliance,
MOVE, and took a forceful stand against the Leftward shifting Károlyi government. He
was ordered to Nagykanizsa as a staff officer, at which he had himself placed on
inactive status (Feb. 21, 1919). Four days later, ahead of his expected arrest and
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