Zoltán Meskó

Zoltán Meskó de Széplak (12 March 1883-10 June 1959) was a leading Hungarian Nazi during the 1930s.

Meskó came from a landowning family of Slovak origin and was first elected to parliament in 1931 as a representative of the Smallholders. After arriving at the parliament wearing an SA uniform, he soon joined Zoltán Böszörmény's National Socialist Party of Work. However in 1932 he split from Böszörmény and joined the Hungarian National Socialist Agricultural Labourers and Workers Party, which sought to imitate the Nazi Party by emphasising anti-Semitism and adopting the brown shirt and swastika. Meskó even went as far as growing a toothbrush moustache in an attempt to physically resemble Adolf Hitler. He became one of the three leaders of the amalgamated Hungarian National Socialist Party in 1934, but was expelled as part of a power struggle the following year.

Meskó returned to parliament in 1939 as an independent national socialist, although his fervour for Hitler had begun to dampen. Increasingly disillusioned with Germany, he played little role in the wartime politics of Hungary. Despite this he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1945, although he was released before his death.

References

* Philip Rees, "Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890"