World War II
When World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, Hungarian leaders hoped to remain neutral. They hoped to stay out of the war by not taking sides in it. Once again, however, Hungary's central location in Europe made it a crossroad of conflict. In 1941, realizing that neutrality was impossible ,the leaders of Hungary decided to join the side of Nazi Germany. It was a fatal
error. Hungary paid a bitter price for its alliance with Germany. Much of the beautiful old capital city of Budapest was destroyed, and thousands of Hungarians lost their lives.
