Mediated Männerbund: A Story of Collaboration and Compliance in Hungary during the Second World War

The chapter examines the life story of Eghia Hovhannesian (1885–1948), one of the survivors of the Armenian genocide (1915), who was living in Hungary in the first half of the 20th century and became a Holocaust perpetrator there. Hovhannesianwas alawyer, friend, and supporter of the high-profile fascist politician László Endre (1895–1946). This chapter analyses how these two men used their networking capital to further their careers and for financial enrichment.Hovhannesian was the publisher of the local newspaper, Gödöllői Hirlap (Courier of Gödöllő)(1928–1944), which supported the national and international career of Endre who, during his tenure as the head of the legal administration (főszolgabíró), made the city of Gödöllő a showcase of successful fascist governance. Endrewas later also responsible for the deportation of Jews from Hungary. This chapter conceptualises the friendship of both men as a form of Männerbund,a type of intimate connection between men structured around male identity, often consolidating political alliances. It traces how their professional and personal bonds contributed to the annihilation of Jews in Gödöllő and Hungary in 1944.