Darányi, Kálmán

▪ Hungarian statesman

born March 22, 1886, Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now in Hungary]

died Nov. 1, 1939, Budapest, Hung.

      Hungarian statesman under whose premiership (1936–38) right-wing political elements gained increased influence in pre-World War II Hungary.

      After earning a degree in law in 1909, Darányi began a career in regional government service. At the end of World War I, he took part in the overthrow of the brief communist rule of Hungary, and by 1927 he was elected to Parliament as a member of the Union Party. In 1935 he became minister of agriculture in the Cabinet of the nationalist, pro-Fascist Gyula Gömbös, whom Darányi replaced on Oct. 10, 1936, when Gömbös died. He continued the foreign policies of his predecessor, aligning the country with German and Italian interests. In his internal legislation, Darányi introduced curbs on the press, extended the legal powers of the central government, and adopted the first anti-Jewish measures. He resigned on May 13, 1938, amid mounting pressures from the extreme right. Darányi then served as president of the legislature until his death.

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