- Levente (organization)
Levente Associations ( _hu. Levente Egyesületek) or simply "levente" ["Levente" is an
Old Hungarian word for "knight ; see also "Levente " ] wereparamilitary youth organization s inHungary in theinterwar period and during the Second World War. It was established in 1921 with the declared purpose of physical and health training. Since mid-1930s they have de-facto become an attempt to circumvent the ban forconscription imposed by the Treaty of Trianon and over the time it had openly become a pre-military organization under the leadership ofveteran s. [Ernst Christian Helmreich (1957) "Hungary", "Praeger ", [http://books.google.com/books?id=GPohAAAAMAAJ&q=levente+youth&dq=levente+youth&lr=&ei=0Gi_R6HXDJ6MjAHineX0Aw&pgis=1 p. 45] ] Since 1939, by the Act of Defense, all boys of ages 12-21 were required to take part in "levente".Attila Horvath, "War and Peace: the Effects of the World War II on Hungarian Education" in: Roy Lowe (ed.) (1992) "Education & the Second World War: Studies in Schooling & Social Change", ISBN 0750700548 ]It is usually compared to
Hitler Jugend ofNazi Germany andOpera Nazionale Balilla ofItaly . While having a common trait of military training with the latter two, "levente" was neither openlyfascist nor particularly politicized, although it was not isolated of political influences of the time.Levente had also a smaller female branch, initiated as a voluntary association in June 1942. Under the rule of
Ferenc Szálasi installed by Nazis in Hungary in October 1944 obligatory "levente" duties were imposed unto girls of ages 12-19 despite the strong opposition of theCatholic Church . However the latter was not actually implemented because of the advance of theSoviet Army .By the end of the World War II "Levente" members had to actually serve in auxiliary forces.
During the Soviet occupation many "levente" activists were tried by Soviet tribunals, convicted of "
anti-Soviet activities" and deported to the Soviet Union for penal labor.References
ee also
*
Deutsche Jugend , a youth organization ofethnic German s in Hungary
*Nationale Jeugdstorm (NJS), a Dutch far right youth group of the WWII times [http://histclo.com/youth/youth/org/nat/neth/nn-nj.htm]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
