According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 38% of
Hungarians approve of U.S. leadership, with 20% disapproving and 42% uncertain, a decrease from 53% approval in 2011.[1] According to a 2018 poll, 68% of
Hungarians view the United States favorably.[2]
Until 1867 the Kingdom of Hungary was a part of the
Austrian Empire and from 1867 to 1918 of the
dual monarchy of
Austria-Hungary. United States
diplomatic relations with Hungary were conducted through the
United States Ambassador to Austria in
Vienna. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire following World War I, Hungary and the United States established bilateral relations through a
legation in Budapest established in 1921. The first American ambassador to Hungary (
Theodore Brentano) was appointed on February 10, 1922.
Diplomatic relations were interrupted during
World War II. Hungary severed relations with the U.S. on December 11, 1941, when the United States
declared war on Germany. Two days later, on December 13, Hungary declared war on the United States. On June 5, 1942, the United States declared war on Hungary.[3] The US declared war on
Romania and
Bulgaria the same day. The declaration of war passed both houses of
Congress unanimously, by votes of 361â0 in the
House of Representatives and 73â0 in the
Senate.[4][5] Normal bilateral relations between Hungary and the U.S. were resumed in December 1945 when a U.S. ambassador was appointed and the embassy was reopened.[citation needed]
Relations between the United States and Hungary following
World War II were affected by the Soviet armed forces'
occupation of Hungary. Full diplomatic relations were established at the legation level on October 12, 1945, before the signing of the Hungarian peace treaty on February 10, 1947. After the communist takeover in 1947â48, relations with the
People's Republic of Hungary became increasingly strained by the nationalization of U.S.-owned property and what the United States considered unacceptable treatment of U.S.
citizens and personnel, as well as restrictions on the operations of the American legation. Though relations deteriorated further after the suppression of the
Hungarian Revolution of 1956, an exchange of
ambassadors in 1966 inaugurated an era of improving relations. In 1972, a consular convention was concluded to provide consular protection to U.S. citizens in Hungary.
In 1973, a bilateral agreement was reached under which
Hungary settled the nationalization claims of American citizens. On 6 January 1978, the United States returned the
Holy Crown of Hungary, which had been safeguarded by the United States since the end of World War II. Symbolically and actually, this event marked the beginning of excellent relations between the two countries. A 1978 bilateral trade agreement included extension of most-favored-nation status to Hungary. Cultural and scientific exchanges were expanded. As Hungary began to pull away from the Soviet orbit, the United States offered assistance and expertise to help establish a
constitution, a
democratic political system, and a plan for a
free market economy.
Between 1989 and 1993, the
Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act provided more than $136 million for economic restructuring and private-sector development. The Hungarian-American Enterprise Fund has offered
loans, equity capital, and technical assistance to promote private-sector development. The U.S. Government has provided expert and financial assistance for the development of modern and Western institutions in many policy areas, including national security,
law enforcement,
free media, environmental regulations, education, and
health care. American direct investment has had a direct, positive impact on the Hungarian economy and on continued good bilateral relations. When Hungary acceded to
NATO in April 1999, it became a formal ally of the United States. This move has been consistently supported by the 1.5 million-strong Hungarian-American community. The U.S. government supported Hungarian accession to the
European Union in 2004, and continues to work with
Hungary as a valued partner in the
Transatlantic relationship.
Hungary joined the
Visa Waiver Program in 2008.
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Frank, Tibor. Genius in Exile: Professional Immigration from Interwar Hungary to the United States (2006).
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Glant, Tibor, "The Myth and History of Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points in Hungary," Eger Journal of American Studies (Eger), 12 (2010), 301â22.
Glant, Tibor, "Herbert Hoover and Hungary, 1918-1923" Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies (HJEAS) 8#2 (2002), pp. 95â109
online
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online.
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Peterecz, ZoltĂĄn, "Money Has No Smell: Anti-Semitism in Hungary and the Anglo-Saxon World, and the Launching of the International Reconstruction Loan for Hungary in 1924," Eger Journal of American Studies (Eger), 13 (2012), pp 273â90.
Peterecz, ZoltĂĄn, "The Fight for a Yankee over Here: Attempts to Secure an American for an Official League of Nations Post in the Postwar Central European Financial Reconstruction Era of the 1920s," Eger Journal of American Studies (Eger), 12 (2010), pp 465â88.
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