Heroes Among Us - 50 True Stories of Brave Hungarians in the 20th Century In the
late 1930s, as it became increasingly clear that Europe was about to be plunged
into war again for the second time in the space of only a few decades, Hungary,
nestled among the states of Central Europe, found itself at the collision of the
two most destructive ideologies of the past century. While the names of the
willing collaborators of either Nazi Germany or Stalin and his henchmen have
been rightfully recorded in the history books, the names of those who took a
stand against injustice and inhumanity under any flag have perhaps at times been
too hastily overlooked. Often far from the hallowed halls where statesmen made
the momentous decisions which shaped the course of history, ordinary people put
their own lives at grave risk by daring to defy the totalitarian regimes. These
were people from almost all walks of life, including church figures, scientists,
mechanics, teachers, students, and some of them defied both those politicians
who insisted on fighting on Nazi-Germany's side during the Second World War and
the communist forces which seized control of the country in its wake. Their
lives and their sacrifices offer eloquent testimony to the power of the
individual to take a stand against totalitarianism. This book, which includes a
rich array of photographs from the time, is intended as a tribute to these
heroes, their courage and defiance in the face of tyranny. Let it remind us
that, while many of these brave souls paid the ultimate price for their shows of
fortitude, the regimes against which they fought have since fallen, and these
everyday heroes have emerged as the victors.