
Hungary
was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed
during
World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World
War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw
Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under
the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing
its economy, introducing so-called "goulash Communism." Hungary
held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free
market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and is scheduled to accede
to the EU along with nine other states on 1004. In an April
2003 referendum, 84 percent voted in favor of joining the EU.. LOCATION:
Central Europe, northwest of Romania LOCATION: Temperate;
cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers BORDERS:
Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km,
Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Slovakia 677 km,
Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km