Károly Bartha (Minister of Defence)
Encyclopedia
Vitéz Károly Bartha de Dálnokfalva (18 June 1884 - 22 November 1964) was a Hungarian
military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence between 1938 and 1942. During World War I he had several high commander offices in Budapest
and Trieste
. In 1919 he fought against the armies of Czechoslovakia
and Romania
. After the fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Bartha joined the National Army led by Miklós Horthy
. Béla Imrédy
appointed him as Minister of Defence and Bartha kept his position in the ensuing governments until 1942.
Under his office time there were lot of significant events: the Vienna Awards
, the occupation of Bácska and Muravidék, the bombing of Kassa
whereby Hungary
entered the Second World War (1941). He had big role in the unfortunate occasions of Vojvodina massacres
. Horthy fired the government because of its Germanophila. Bartha was retired.
Károly Bartha did not undertake neither political and neither military role after his retirement. After the war the People's Tribunal considered him a responsible for entering the war. The Military Court downgraded him and later they fired Bartha from the Magyar Honvédség. After the communist takeover he was harassed by the police services, so he emigrated to Venezuela
, where he worked as railway constructing engineer. He died in 1964 during a visit to Linz
, Austria
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence between 1938 and 1942. During World War I he had several high commander offices in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
. In 1919 he fought against the armies of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938)
The First Czechoslovak Republic , refers to the first Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938. The state was commonly called Czechoslovakia . It was composed of Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia...
and Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
. After the fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist state established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I....
Bartha joined the National Army led by Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
. Béla Imrédy
Béla Imrédy
Béla vitéz Imrédy de Ómoravicza was Prime Minister of Hungary from 1938 to 1939....
appointed him as Minister of Defence and Bartha kept his position in the ensuing governments until 1942.
Under his office time there were lot of significant events: the Vienna Awards
Vienna Awards
The Vienna Awards are two arbitral awards by which arbiters of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sought to enforce peacefully the claims of Hungary on territory it had lost in 1920 when it signed the Treaty of Trianon...
, the occupation of Bácska and Muravidék, the bombing of Kassa
Košice attack
The Kassa attack was the June 26, 1941 aerial bombing of the city of Kassa, today Košice , then a part of Hungary. This attack became the pretext for the government of Hungary to declare war on the Soviet Union, on 27 June 1941....
whereby Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
entered the Second World War (1941). He had big role in the unfortunate occasions of Vojvodina massacres
Occupation of Vojvodina, 1941-1944
The Occupation of Vojvodina from 1941 to 1944 was carried out by Nazi Germany and its client states / puppet regimes: Horthy's Hungary and Independent State of Croatia....
. Horthy fired the government because of its Germanophila. Bartha was retired.
Károly Bartha did not undertake neither political and neither military role after his retirement. After the war the People's Tribunal considered him a responsible for entering the war. The Military Court downgraded him and later they fired Bartha from the Magyar Honvédség. After the communist takeover he was harassed by the police services, so he emigrated to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, where he worked as railway constructing engineer. He died in 1964 during a visit to Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.