CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2009
| Author | Rigo, Mate |
|---|---|
| Title | Survival Strategies, Ghettoization and the Persecution of Jews in Budapest, 1944 |
| Summary | Through the Budapest experience of 1944 I investigate how the extreme situation – brought about by the occupation of the city by German forces and the putsch of the local Nazis, as well as the discrimination and subsequent persecution of Jews and the Allied bombings –affected the strategies of survival characterizing the capital’s population. What did survival depend on and how did city dwellers – especially “Jews” – mobilize their resources to get beyond these regulations? Did personal strategies of resistance make a difference or was the fate of Budapest Jewry sealed after the German occupation? How effective were the antisemitic regulations in everyday life and to what extent did the rabidly antisemitic press of the time reflect the worldview of everyday people? By relying primarily on sources that lend themselves to the investigation of personal survival strategies, I argue that despite the fact that the highly antisemitic official discourse had a detrimental effect on Jewish – Gentile social interactions, it was not the only and most-pervasive factor that influenced the outcome of this relationship and the action of people. Moreover, I argue that both Jews and Gentiles contested antisemitic policies by trying to make it serve their needs, though in different ways. It is argued that contesting Nazi policies on a personal, family and bureaucratic level was a key factor in the survival of large segments of Budapest Jewry, due to the distinct nature of the Holocaust in Budapest. |
| Supervisor | Miller Michael L. |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2009/rigo_mate.pdf |
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