Legal Regulation of War Orphans in Hungary between the Two World Wars

Abstract

The study examines the development of the Hungarian legal regulation of war orphans between the two world wars from a legal-historical perspective. The introduction outlines the historical background of war care, highlighting legislative provisions concerning the support of families of conscripted soldiers. The regulations enacted before World War I quickly became obsolete after the outbreak of the war, exposing their shortcomings. The study focuses on the situation of orphans of non-professional soldiers, presenting the continuous changes in Hungarian regulations and the evolution of state care. Through international examples – including Austrian, German, Italian, and French models – the unique characteristics of Hungarian war orphan care become evident. Initially, domestic war orphan care was based on decrees, which were later institutionalized with the enactment of the 1933 Act VII (Hrt.). The study also addresses the impact of post-Trianon revisionist efforts on war orphan care and the regulations introduced in newly re-annexed territories regarding war orphans. The 1941 amendment to the Hrt. expanded eligibility, allowing children born after the law came into effect to be classified as war orphans in response to the outbreak of World War II.