Summary
Founded by Magyars more than a thousand years ago, Hungary is known for its folk art traditions as well as great architecture, music, and literature. It was long part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and became an independent country after World War I ended in 1918. Hungary fought on the side of Nazi Germany during World War II and fell under Soviet domination from 1945 to 1989. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Hungary emerged as a democracy in the 1990s and joined the European Union in 2004. The election of conservative Viktor Orbán as prime minister in 2010 has shifted the government to the right, and in recent years Hungary has become an increasingly authoritarian country, often at odds with its democratic neighbors. This eBook provides a one-stop resource for information about Hungary, with comprehensive A-to-Z entries covering everything from land and resources, population, culture, and lifestyle to current events, history, government, economy, and society. Readers will also find regional locator, political, and elevation maps, plus a list of further readings.
About the Author(s)
The late George Thomas Kurian was an editor of reference books who published works with Facts On File, Congressional Quarterly, Henry Holt, Macmillan, Oxford, M.E. Sharpe, and many other publishers. He was president of the International Encyclopedia Society.
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Robbers is professor emeritus of law at the Institute for European Constitutional Law at the University of Trier, Germany, specializing in constitutional law, law of religion, and international public law. A founding editor-in-chief of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, he is a member of both the Advisory Council for Freedom of Religion at ODIHR/OSCE and the Steering Committee of the International Consortium for Law and Religious Studies.