Hungary at the end of the War. March 1944. Germany occupies Hungary. August 1944 Romania change sides in the war. Horthy sacks the pro-nazi primeminister. GB and US show no interest in peace negotiations. In Oct USSR puts an ultimatum, declare war on Germany otherwise no peace negotiations. Horthy plans to change side but... Oct 15 the Hungarian Nazis take power.
Red Army enters Hungary. This is my girlfriends grandmother and grandfather. Grandmother German minority Grandfather born in Serbia. Grandmother lost her father, the Red Army took him away in January 1945. Her mother was raped by Russian soldiers. Grandfather was in line for bread one day, was loaded on a truck and taken away. Managed to get out. Stalin admitts that 600 000 Hungarians were brought to GULAG in the winter 1945. Probably as many as 1 000 000.
Peace in Paris 1946 Hungary accepts the borders of 1937, that is Trianon. Some 400 000 Hungarians are repatriated to Hungary from Czechoslovakia. Hungary has to pay war reparations of 300 millions USD (200 to USSR, 70 to Czechoslovakia and 30 to Yugoslavia). Horrible atrocities commited against Hungarians in Romania. Hungary has the world record in Inflation summer of 1946. Highest note was a billion trillions. (en miljard biljoner)
In this enviroment the Communists start their take over. Remember that they got seats in the Government even when the Smallholders Party got 57 % of the votes in 1945 free election. AND remember that the Red Army was present and in searching for Nazi War criminals. When some Russian soldiers are lynched by an angry hungarian mob, this man, Laszlo Rájk as minister of the Initerior forbids all youth organisation but the Communist one. The democratic Police for the People
First they take the Smallholders When the prime minister is in Switzerland, types out his resignition and kidnaps the five year old son, wont get a permission to leave if not signed. Some twenty MP:s are falsely charged with treason. The commies control the Police and the Secret Police.
Then they take the Social Democrats. In 1947 there is a rigged election in villages with 100 citizens the Communists get 1000 votes. Almost like in Ohio and Florida... The communist becomes the only party in the government. They even when they cheated only got 22 % of the votes...
In June 1948 the Social Democrats and the Communist Party is joined in one Party, The Workers Party of Hungary MMP. Soon the accusations against Social Democrats are starting.
TERROR AGAINST THE POPULATION STARTS: 1949 it is time for a new election, this time the only party people can vote is the Workers Party. A new Soviet Constistution is introduced, what does that mean? The Secret Police (AVO / AVH) has all power. Over 1 million cases are opened. Files on all citizens. (Grandmother) 100 Concentration camps in Hungary are opened. Some 390 000 are convicted to forced labour. 25 % of the NI goes to the Military. Starvation and no crops because of this. In 1949 the cleansing of the own Party starts. Rajk is executed accused of being a Titoist. The need for scapegoats to explain the horrible results is needed.
Kádár and Rájk.
Cleansing continues. 1950 The Social democrats are purged from the Party. 1950 the Army is purged, 65 % of the Officers are now members of the Party. 1951 an anti-nationalist purge, Kádár is put to prison. 1952 and Anti-zionist purge. At the same time the Industrialization starts, with collectivisation. 47 % of the NI goes to Heavy Industry. 800 000 peasants have no crop for next year in 1951. Starvation while the Party shoots anyone that doesn't do his or her share. 257 000 persons are forcefully moved to the cities in the beguinning of the 50's. Sztalinváros.
Everything is politicized. 30 min of reading Szabad Nép in the morning, volunteer work for the party on Saturdays...
But then Stalin Dies... Moscow has enough of Rákosi. He is forced to hand over the power to this man. Imre Nagy becomes prime minister in 1953 June. He suprises everyone in his installation speech, when he says that: A New Economic Policy should be introduced. Privatization of some parts of the enterprises should be allowed. Collectivazation should be VOLUNTEER. Concentration camps should be closed.. No more secret illegal trials. The Secret Police should be canceled And a slow process toward democracy should be started..
Things get temporaly better, but in 1955 Imre Nagy is called to Moscow. He is replaced by the hated Stalinist Gerö. In 1955 the Warsaw Pact is signed, that's probably why. In February 1956, Krushchev holds his speech, denouncing Stalin. When he visits Tito, Rakosi is in trouble, the Rajk trial was wrong. Mikoyan comes to Budapest, tells Rakosi in the car that Rakosi is sick... In June Nagy is 60, big spontanious celebration. 6 oct 1956 Rajk is reburied. In Poland the Polish leader Gomulka stood up against Khrushchev.
Chronology over the Hungarian Revolution 1956 / Freedom fight. Oct 23 Students march in the morning with their demands. They go to the Bem-statue. By the evening some 200 000 demonstrators. In the evening some go to the Stalin-statue. Some go to the Parliament and demand to hear Imre Nagy. Comrades In the late evening fights break out around the Radio. About the same time someone opens fire against demonstrators at the parliament. After the first shots some go to the different military regiments, like the Killian Baracks. At 2 a.m Soviet tanks enter Budapest. Oct 24 Imre Nagy is quite reluctantly accepting to be Prime Minister. He does this to save the Party. He promises to go back to the reforms of 1953. Oct 25 Demonstrators in front of the Parilament are shot at. The Leadership of the Communist Party is changed. Janos Kádár is First secretary of the Party. Oct 30 Republic Square Secret Police is attacked, some 20 AVH men are murded. That same day USSR redraw their tanks.
Chronology over the Hungarian Revolution 1956 / Freedom fight. On Oct 31 Krushchev and USSR change his mind and orders that actions should be taken to crush the rebellion/revolution/freedom fight. WHY? 1. 2. 3. The reforms went too far: Nagy declared Hungary a neutral country and wanted to leave the Warsaw Pact. Capitalists were allowed to join the Government. The lynching of AVH and other party members showed that Nagy had no control over the situation. On Oct 29 the Suez Crisis put Hungary out side the world attention. "We should reexamine our assessment and should not withdraw our troops from Hungary and Budapest. We should take the initiative in restoring order in Hungary. If we depart from Hungary, it will give a great boost to the Americans, English, and French the imperialists. They will perceive it as weakness on our part and will go onto the offensive... To Egypt they will then add Hungary. We have no other choice." Krushchev. On November 4 the Soviet tanks rolled in on the streets of Budapest.