Hegedüs government

Hungarian government

Hungarian Working People's Party (as part of Patriotic People's Front)Status in legislatureTotal control

298 / 298 (100%)

HistoryElection1953PredecessorI. Nagy ISuccessorI. Nagy II

The Hegedüs government led Hungary for eighteen months, spanning from April 18, 1955 to October 24, 1956. It officially operated as the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic and was helmed by András Hegedüs, who served as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

Background

In the aftermath of World War II, the country embarked on the construction of a socialist foundation based on the Stalinist model.^[1] The challenges of rebuilding the economy and industrializing in the face of limited resources were compounded by internal disputes within the ruling Hungarian Working People's Party, particularly regarding political and economic strategies.

Matyas Rakosi, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Hungarian Working People's Party, pursued orthodox Stalinist policies, emulating those implemented in the USSR. By the end of 1949, extensive nationalization had taken place, bringing key sectors under state control.^[2] The accelerated collectivization of agriculture commenced, with 1,500 production cooperatives established by the middle of the year.^[3] Rakosi, faced with international tensions and the outbreak of the Korean War, believed in expediting the establishment of socialism, even resorting to reprisals.^[4]

A counterposition emerged, led by Imre Nagy, a former Minister of Agriculture (Hungary) known for overseeing agrarian reform. Nagy criticized Rakosi's approach, advocating for socialist reform.^[4] The death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 weakened Rakosi's position, as new Soviet leaders favored moderate reforms and a departure from Stalinism. In July 1956, Imre Nagy replaced Rakosi as the head of the government, steering away from forced industrialization and promoting democratization.^[5]

However, Nagy's tenure faced opposition, leading to his condemnation by the Central Committee in March 1955. Despite this, Nagy retained support, especially among intellectuals, youth, and certain press organs.^[5] Unable to reinstate himself or appoint loyal comrades to key positions, Rakosi supported the candidacy of András Hegedüs, a 33-year-old ally, as the head of the Council of Ministers.

Hegedüs, aligned with Rakosi's policies, collaborated with the Rákosi group in sidelining Nagy's supporters and implemented a Five-Year Plan [hu]. The government signed the Warsaw Pact on May 14, 1955. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Hegedüs initially supported Ernő Gerő, but later, as the situation evolved, left his post along with most of his cabinet members.

Composition

Portfolio'	Minister'	Party
Chairman of the Council of Ministers	András Hegedüs	Hungarian Workers' Party
First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers	Ernő Gerő (until July 30, 1956) István Hidas^[6] (from July 30, 1956)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers	Antal Apro	Hungarian Workers' Party
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers	Ferenc Erdei (until November 15, 1955) István Hidas (until July 30, 1956) György Marosan	Hungarian Workers' Party
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers	Joseph Mekis	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of State Control^[7]	Árpád Házi^[8]	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Economy	György Pogačas	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Mines and Energy^[9]	Sandor Kotner	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Taxes and Duties	Andras Sobek	Hungarian Workers' Party
Interior Minister	Laszlo Piros	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Domestic Trade	József Bognar (until April 14, 1956) Janos Tausch (from April 14, 1956)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Health	Joseph Roman	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Food	Ivan Altomare (until July 30, 1956) Rezhe Njersch (from July 30, 1956)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Construction	Lajos Sciarto	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Agriculture	Ferenc Erdei (until November 15, 1955) Janos Matolcsy (from November 15, 1955)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Defense	István Bata	Hungarian Workers' Party
Justice Minister	Erik Molnár	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering	Janos Gergo	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Light Industry	Béla Szalai (until September 8, 1955) Joséphine Nagy (from September 8, 1955)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Transport and Postal Service	Lajos Bebritz	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Foreign Trade	Laszlo Hey (until April 14, 1956) Jozsef Bognar (from April 14, 1956)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Foreign Minister	Janos Boldocki (until July 30, 1956) Imre Horvath (from July 30, 1956)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Culture	Jozef Darvash	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Public Education	Tibor Erdei-Gruz (d 30 July 1956) Albert Konya (d 30 July 1956)	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Finance	Karoly Olt^[10]	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Coal Industry^[9]	Sandor Kotner	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of City and Municipal Administration	Janos Shabo	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Chemical and Energy Industry^[9]	Arpad Kiss	Hungarian Workers' Party
Minister of Chemical Industry^[9]	Gergey Shabo	Hungarian Workers' Party
Chairman of the National Planning Committee	Andor Berey	Hungarian Workers' Party

Literature

T. M. Islamov, A. I. s, V. P. Shusharin. (1991). Brief history of Hungary. From ancient times to the present day (PDF). M.: Nauka. p. 608. ISBN 5-02-009913-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
S. Y. Lavrenov, I. M. Popov. (2003). Soviet Union in local wars and conflicts. M.: LLC "ACT Publishing House". p. 778. ISBN 5-271-05709-7.

References

^ Islamov, Pushkash & Shusharin 1991, p. 464.
^ Islamov, Pushkash & Shusharin 1991, p. 457.
^ Islamov, Pushkash & Shusharin 1991, p. 459-460.
^ ^a ^b Islamov, Pushkash & Shusharin 1991, p. 465.
^ ^a ^b Islamov, Pushkash & Shusharin 1991, p. 468.
^ "Hidas István". www.rev.hu. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
^ The position was established on August 26, 1955.
^ "1944_ngy_a_t172". 2015-02-06. Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Position created on July 30, 1956.
^ "Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon". mek.niif.hu. Retrieved 2023-08-10.

Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon

Sources

József Bölöny : Governments of Hungary 1848–2004. The period between 1987 and 2004 was processed and published by László Hubai. 5th expanded and improved edition. Budapest: Academic Publishing House. 2004. ISBN 963-05-8106-X
Islamov, Т. М.; Pushkash, А. I.; Shusharin, V. P. (1991). Краткая история Венгрии. С древнейших времен до наших дней [A Brief History of Hungary. From ancient times to the present day] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow: Nauka. ISBN 5-02-009913-9.