Folia historica 23/2

Baják László: Az „Élünk" története

The history of the newspaper "Élünk" ("We are Living") (précis) by László Baják The Hungarian National Museum preserves a large number of documents dating back to 1956, which were obtained by taking over the collections of the Modem History Museum (MHM) founded in 1957. The MHM collected most of the material right after the events, the more so since its first greater task in July 1957 was to organize a travelling exhibition in order to "uncover" the counter-revolution. As one of the most important collections of 1956 in Hungary, it preserves a number of unique documents not to be found anywhere else today. The pamphlets made by the revolting group of Gyula Obersovszky, which were confiscated later, can be classed among these beyond question. The perhaps only complete series of the illegal newspaper titled "Éliink" ("We are Living"), edited by Obersovszky, belongs, among others, to this material. It is the Municipal Court of Budapest that has given to the museum the documents- and/or their authentic copies - confiscated at different locations during the investigation. By 11

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1 November 1956 after, a week of fighting the armed resistance came to an end in Budapest, but the revolution continued by other means. Against Kádár's puppet-regime raised to power by Soviet troops political power was virtually in the hands of the workers' councils supporting Imre Nagy. The streets were again swamped by anti-goverment pamphlets and leaflets. In this situation Gyula Obersovszky, the editor of "Igazság" ("Justice"), set as an aim to revive the revolutionary press. Having asked for a permission in vain after 10

th November, he and his partners decided to publish an illegal newspaper with the title "Élünk". Despite the extraordinary difficulties and the persecution by the authorities, 8 copies of "Élünk" were issued. Besides, Obersovszky took part in organizing the "mute" demonstration on 23

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d November and that of the women's protest on 4

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1 December, and also, took upon the task of editing the Central Workers' Council's newspaper. The latter, some printer's proofs of which were also found in the collection, was confiscated in a semi-finished state by the authorities. Obersovszky was arrested on 6

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1 December. First, in the trial of Ilona Tóth and her accessories he was sentenced to 3 years' imprisonment for instigation. Later, by the judgement of the appeal court, he was sentenced to death for organizing subversive activities, which was later modified to life sentence bcacause of international protests. He was released by amnesty in 1963. 209