Austria-Hungary

The World Since 1945

After World War II, Hungary became a Soviet satellite state,which made it a communist nation. The leader of Hungary ruled with absolute authority.  He killed several thousand people and commited many human right abuses.  The standards of living in Hungary fell during this time period.  In 1989, Communist Hungary became the Third Hungarian Republic. Now, the state is democratic and holds free elections.  Hungary is now a proud member of both the European Union and NATO.

Austria, much like its counter- part, is a democracy although it was never ruled under the Soviet Union.  There stance is more liberal and they are one of six countries to declare permanent neutrality.  Economically, Austria has also faired much better than Hungary and is one of the richest countries in the world.  Most likely, this was the cause of never being under the control of the Soviet Union, which suffered severe financial crisis.  Austria is also part of the European Union and NATO.