Imre Nagy, A Leader and Revolutionary of Hungary

Jun 21, 2011
Jennifer Ciotta

Imre Nagy, Hungarian Prime Minister - TASS

Imre Nagy was a Hungarian leader with a communist background. He was prime minister twice, but eventually lost his life due to his liberal ideals.

Imre Nagy is a famous name in East European History that many people do not recognize. However, to the nation of Hungary, he is a historical leader who stood up to the Soviets and lost his life in return. Nagy was passionate about independence and proved his great love for his motherland of Hungary by making the ultimate sacrifice. Due to this, Hungarians commemorate Nagy in the highest regard.

Imre Nagy the Communist

Imre Nagy was born on June 7, 1896, and was raised as a peasant in Hungary. As an adolescent, he apprenticed as a locksmith and then was drafted into the First World War. In the fog of war, the Russian Army captured Nagy. He escaped from prison and joined the communist Bolsheviks and fought with the Russian Red Army. This was the beginning of Nagy's transition to communism.

When Nagy returned to Hungary, he had to remain quiet about his communist affiliations. Western Europeans viewed communism as a dictatorial and murderous political system, especially in the wake of the Romanov family murders in Russia. To associate with a communist was to associate with the enemy, so Nagy kept his politic beliefs to himself.

Feeling the pressure of his secret, he moved to Moscow in 1929 and studied agriculture. He remained there until 1944, when he returned to Hungary, which was under Soviet occupation. Nagy witnessed those who were not loyal to communism or Joseph Stalin simply disappear. Being a communist finally proved to be a boon for Nagy.

Imre Nagy, A Hungarian Leader

The Soviets saw Nagy as a loyal communist and put him in power as Minister of Agriculture in 1945. He replicated the Soviet idea of collectivization, in which he dismantled massive land estates and dispersed the property amongst Hungarian citizens. The Soviets approved of his leadership, evidenced by a promotion to Minister of the Interior, a post he held for only a short time.

Finally word came down from Moscow and Imre Nagy was appointed to Prime Minister in July 1953. However, much to the Soviets' dismay, he softened his political stance. He loosened up on rules of collectivization and he encouraged manufacturing. But the Soviets were scared that Nagy was making Hungary too liberal and giving the other Soviet republics reason to rebel and revolt.

In July 1955, Moscow forced Nagy to resign. In November of that same year, the Soviets threw Nagy out of the communist party. Revolution occurred and the people turned to Nagy to become Prime Minster again. He was reinstated in the Hungarian Communist Party in 1956. Along with the backing of three, non-communist political parties, Nagy announced to Hungary that he would bring democracy to the country. He aimed for better conditions for workers and to release political prisoners. Then he made a fatal mistake when he said Hungary would pull out of the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral country. This infuriated Moscow.

In November 1956, Moscow removed Nagy from power by military force. He was arrested and taken out of the country. The Soviets quietly returned Nagy to Hungary, but on June 16, 1958, he was indicted on treason charges and executed. Hungarians were told after the fact and Nagy was buried in a remote cemetery.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Hungarians found Nagy's grave. They revitalized the area and gave Nagy and other political victims a proper burial. Approximately 100,000 Hungarians came out for the re-burial, giving their beloved leader the commemoration he finally deserved.