A Hungarian National Socialist in the Role of a “Russian Scholar”

The first history of twentieth-century Russia written by a Hungarian author was published in the middle of the Second World War, in 1943. It was written by Kálmán Rátz, a retired major whose knowledge of the subject and balanced approach were praised in the press reviews of the time. This article traces the story of this former soldier and, drawing on both published and unpublished sources, sets out, for the first time in academic history writing, to disprove his claim to be considered the author of this monumental, professionally executed work. As a member of the Hungarian parliament, Rátz employed scholars, members of the communist underground, who subsequently published numerous newspaper articles and books under his name. Thanks to their efforts, articles appeared in the press which, paradoxically, were almost sympathetic to the Russians and the Soviet Union. Rátz himself was an anti-Semitic rabble-rouser who supported the idea of a “Greater Hungary” and territorial revision. He declared himself a “National Socialist”, although he tried to distance himself from the German Nazis. He also joined the radical, far-right Arrow Cross Party. By this time, however, it was clear in Hungary that National Socialism was synonymous with fascism, and Rátz gradually moved away from this line, beginning in late 1942 to talk about the evacuation of Hungarian soldiers from the Soviet Union. Although he was not condemned after 1945, his career was cut short. Rátz was nothing more than a political chameleon, a manipulator, an unscrupulous careerist and a plagiarist – and by no means an outstanding Russianist.