Can Hungary expand during the 30s and 40s without taking part in WWII?

Let's suppose Weimar Germany continues on and Hitler never takes power.

Italy likely will still provoke a war in Yugoslavia by supporting the Croatian Nationalists in their bid to secede from the Serb-dominated Kingdom, in which case Hungary has a prime opportunity to reclaim Vojvodina and eastern Slovenia.

In the 1935 Czechoslovak elections, 33.2% of the vote went to the German Parties, Hungarian Parties, and Slovak Fascist parties. Increase the political instability and get the Slovaks to secede and I could see a situation where Hungary annexes the Vienna awards lands (southern Slovakia and Carpathoruthenia) and puts the rest of Slovakia under a protectorate like history Bohemia-Moravia's status under Germany.

I can't think of a way for the Hungarians to get land from Romania, short of a Soviet-Bulgarian-Hungarian stockpiling on the country.
 
If the USSR does not enter Hungary, I am dubious they will get an occupation zone in Austria, or at least one where they could be in a position to physically isolate Hungary from the rest of the world. IMHO the Horthy regime was not full on fascist, it was a Central European authoritarian style with some "fascistic" elements, more nationalist than anything else (and the nationalism included a healthy dose of antisemitism and Magyarization of other minorities). Horthy kept the true fascists, the Arrow Cross, at a very long arms length and it was his attempt to find a way out of the war that led the Germans to assist the Arrow Cross in taking over. At which point they went full on fascist/Naziboys assisting the Germans with the deportation and killing of around 600,000 Hungarian Jews who had been crapped on but not exterminated/deported under Horthy.

A neutral Hungary will see the Arrow Cross and Horthy more at odds as Szlasy will be pushing to get Hungary in on the anticommunist war (as it was pushed in Hungary). Horthy will have the levers of power and I expect the Arrow Cross will get the chop. A neutral but axis-friendly Hungary might still get the bits of Czechoslovakia it got after the Germans marched in, after all the Poles got some. Once the war gets going, the only way Hungary gets anything significant is as a reward for jumping in. Maybe they get enticed with some (not all) of the bits of Yugoslavia they covet. Unless they are all in I doubt they get any of Romania (Transylvania) as Germany needs the oil and Romania has sent troops to Russia so Transylvania is not a pie to be divided between allies, but rather a dispute between an ally (with lots of oil) and a neutral.

Since OTL Slovakia was axis aligned, after they became "independent" post WWII Hungary might keep those bits, especially if they are ethnically Hungarian majority. Keeping any part of Yugoslavia not happening. If Romania is an axis ally like OTL, if Hungary declares war right at the end they might get to keep some of Transylvania in a postwar settlement. Timing is key because do this too soon and the Germans descend on them - you might even see a Hungarian vice Soviet occupation of eastern Austria.
 
Horthy is, legally, Regent for the Habsburg claimant

As the war turns against the Axis, if Hungary enters the war on the Allied side, Horthy can negotiate a Habsburg return

Without the German resistance in Hungary, the Soviet thrust is going to be parted in two - though as a member of the Allies Hungary can allow access AND send its own forces into Austria (which seems most likely a place to send them as it is targets Nazi strongholds without necessarily targeting Nazi strong armies)

Post-war could be a lot different - Czechoslovakia could well remain democratic, and not get swallowed up by the Communists.
 
So letting German troops use your territory to attack a neutral nation committing forces to another war of aggression in the East and also presumably letting German troops and formations use their transportation networks for transit that does not sound like a neutral nation

Not only Finland, but also Sweden. Sweden allowed german troops to use their train network on the invasion of Norway.
 
Not only Finland, but also Sweden. Sweden allowed german troops to use their train network on the invasion of Norway.

Of course, Sweden also isn't holding territory that is claimed by three different *Fraternal Socialist Comrades™ and isn't a fascist regime taking in German war criminals
 
Of course, Sweden also isn't holding territory that is claimed by three different *Fraternal Socialist Comrades™ and isn't a fascist regime taking in German war criminals

AS I said many times, there is no need for Horthy to continue in power, and as people pointed out he was not a full blown fascist. Still the argument of Hungary being in position so close to the soviets is true, but again some people sugested that Horthy can backstab the axis at the last moment, and Yugoslavia broke free from the soviets in 47 and they did little.
 
Still the argument of Hungary being in position so close to the soviets is true, but again some people sugested that Horthy can backstab the axis at the last moment, and Yugoslavia broke free from the soviets in 47 and they did little.

Romania also backstapped the Axis at the last moment that in of itself doesn't mean particularly anything and I personally think the USSR has far fewer qualms about invading an anti-communist authoritarian Hungary than a socialist Yugoslavia at best Hungary gets neutralized like Austria the odds are very much against Hungary managing onto hold onto any of its gains
 
Another question is would Nazi Germany even accept a neutral Hungary, even if it's pro-Axis neutral, since due to its geographic location it could easily block German access to Romanian oil, and that is something which Nazi Germany will not accept or even risk the possibility.
 
If you want to know how Stalin would behave towards a pro-Axis Hungary which he is not yet at war with just take a look at his conduct towards Bulgaria.

Hungary would have to at the very least cleanly switch sides (although the example of Romania makes it clear that Stalin isn't above engaging in post-war intrigues). Perhaps Hungary could keep southern Slovakia if its betrayal is specifically timed to aid the Slovak National Upring, and Stalin could let it (be it "merely" Finlandized or full on satellite state) keep Vojvodina and eastern Slovenia as a means of spiting Tito (assuming the hand over was stalled long enough for that to be relevant).
 
If you want to know how Stalin would behave towards a pro-Axis Hungary which he is not yet at war with just take a look at his conduct towards Bulgaria.

Hungary would have to at the very least cleanly switch sides (although the example of Romania makes it clear that Stalin isn't above engaging in post-war intrigues). Perhaps Hungary could keep southern Slovakia if its betrayal is specifically timed to aid the Slovak National Upring, and Stalin could let it (be it "merely" Finlandized or full on satellite state) keep Vojvodina and eastern Slovenia as a means of spiting Tito (assuming the hand over was stalled long enough for that to be relevant).

Only way is to get onboard with the Allies, then get US and British units in country, as a buffer against both Nazis and Soviets making inroads.
 
Only way is to get onboard with the Allies, then get US and British units in country, as a buffer against both Nazis and Soviets making inroads.

Though Stalin will notice that this move is to deny him much of the Balkans and given his paranoia he could even suspect that this might be a preparation for an allied invasion of the Soviet Union via the Carpatho-Ukraine (Operation Unthinkable) while much of the Red Army is currently in Poland and Germany.
So he will make moves to prevent that, which might include offering a separate armistice or even peace to Nazi Germany, and I doubt that saving a pro-Axis neutral from coming under the Soviet thumb is worth that kind of risk for the Allies.
I mean they essentially already gave up Poland and Romania, Finland was getting, well, finlandized, and the Baltics were barely even mentioned by anyone so I can't imagine they would go to such troubles for Hungary either.
 
Though Stalin will notice that this move is to deny him much of the Balkans and given his paranoia he could even suspect that this might be a preparation for an allied invasion of the Soviet Union via the Carpatho-Ukraine (Operation Unthinkable) while much of the Red Army is currently in Poland and Germany.
So he will make moves to prevent that, which might include offering a separate armistice or even peace to Nazi Germany, and I doubt that saving a pro-Axis neutral from coming under the Soviet thumb is worth that kind of risk for the Allies.
I mean they essentially already gave up Poland and Romania, Finland was getting, well, finlandized, and the Baltics were barely even mentioned by anyone so I can't imagine they would go to such troubles for Hungary either.

Peace with Nazi Germany was just not going to happen after 1942, and none of those had W. Allied troops on their Soil, that's the only real trump card for a minor power to play to keep independent.

Poland was Fait accompli, that toothpaste was out of the tube in 1944.
 
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