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Ungheria 1945 (4 aprile) ? 2002 (31 dicembre) CercaDefinizione
Before the end of WW II Hungary was liberated by the armed forces of the USSR on April 4, 1945. The first free general election followed on November 3, when the anticommunist Smallholders' Party under the leadership of Zoltán Tildy formed a coalition cabinet.
During 1946 and 1947 250,000 ethnic Germans were expelled. A republic was formally proclaimed in February 1947, and on February 10, 1947 the Paris peace treaty was signed in which Hungary relinquished all the territories occupied from the neighboring countries since 1938. During 1947 the Communist party obtained complete control of the government. A number of purges of leading parliamentarians, church and party leaders followed, leaving the actual power in the hands of the Communist leader Mátyás Rákosi who formally succeeded as prime minister in 1952.
In October and November 1956 a revolt against the Communist oppression sparked by university student demonstrations spread across the country but was crushed by Soviet armed intervention. On June 17, 1958 the execution, after a secret trial, of former Prime Minister Imre Nagy and other leaders of the 1956 uprising have been made public. Between 1957 and 1965 Prime Minister János Kádár managed to steer the country toward a more benevolent repression and cautious liberalization. During several successive Prime Ministers, liberalization and improved relations with western countries followed.
In 1981 and 1982 Hungary was admitted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and to the World Bank. A formation of independent parties in a multiparty system was approved by the government in February 1989. The government demanded and the Soviet Union acceded to the complete withdrawal of their troops, which was accomplished by June 1991. During the same year Hungary withdrew from the Warsaw Pact. Privatization and other major liberalization laws were enacted during the following years. In April 1994 Hungary applied to be accepted into the European Union. In the elections on May 24, 1998 a center-right government was voted in, and Viktor Orban ascended to the premiership. Hungary became a full member of NATO on March 12, 1999, and was promised accession to the European Union on May 1, 2004. (en-US)
Fonte
Central Intelligence Agency. "The World Factbook 2003: Hungary." December 18, 2003.