Magyar News, 1995. szeptember-1996. augusztus (6. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1995-11-01 / 3. szám

COMMEMORATION OF THE 1956 HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION by Ft. Dr. Andor Rakaczki REVOLUTION: the oppressed people put an end to the existing political system. One of the world’s most well known revolution took place in Hungary in 1956. In this article I would like to explain the causes of the revolution, which deal with pol itical, socio-economic and moral causes. The 1956 revolution put an end to illegal political system and party dictatorship. After WWII, the Hungarians, as well as many other nations, wished to live in peace and freedom. The Allied Superpowers in Yalta ruled that the Soviet Union must allow free elections within its occupied zones. On November 4, 1945, the first free election since WWII were held in Hungary. The election resulted in the rejection of the Communist Party by 83% of Hungarian voters. Following the election, the Communist Party began illegal maneuvering to end the multiple party system and parliamentary democracy. The Hungarians wouldn’t ac­cept this political maneuvering, therefore in 1956 they freely declared that they de­mand a multi-party system and new free elections. The communist regime made Hungary a police state. Political issues became police issues. Political terror with police assis­tance started conspiratory trials such as the Kelemen trial, the Mindszenty trial and finally the Rajk dial. Mihály Korom, the Communist Minister of Justice, made a presentation in Moscow where he stated that in Hungary previous to 1948, the so called People’s Courts handled 80,000 cases. Janos Berecz, a member of the Commu­nist Party Central Committee, states in his book that between 1952-56, the Commu­nist Party ordered judicial inquiries against 1,136,434 people and they prosecuted 516,708 people. Between 1945-56, during peace time in Hungary, the communists killed 15,000 people for political reasons. After all this, is it any surprise that the revolution broke out? It was the responsibility of the Hungar­ian State and Secret Police to help the communist regime to accomplish a new economic system. Just from the simple fact, that a state needs a police apparatus to change the economic system shows clearly what this economic system is worth. The agricultural and industrial policies of this communist and autocratic regime show three typical characteristics. 1. these economic policies started with lies 2. caused much, much suffering 3. these policies failed. In 1945 as a huge social achievement they executed the agrarian reform, they allotted land to the peasants. A few years later they (communists) took back the land from the farmers and forcibly pushed them into the so called Farmer’s Co-Operatives. Thousands of people were sent to labor camps because they didn’t want to give up their own lands. The same thing happened with the indus­trial workers. The regime nationalized the factories and forced retail dealers and shop­keepers into the “Producer’s Co-Opera­tives.” The regime lost its credibility be­cause the people honestly felt that the re­gime lied to them. Theeconomic-dictator EmoGero pushed the economy close to bankruptcy. Let me illustrate with a few examples. The very expensive subway construc­tion started in Budapest and after a few years stopped in 1953. Construction of a thermal power plant in Tiszalok started and stopped. The brand new chemical plant in Kazincbarcika (only after six months in operation) had to be closed down, because 30% of the machines were ruined. Working and housing conditions in the new so called socialist-city, in the “City of Stalin” were primitive and unbearable. The communistrcgimc punished notonly the farmers and workers but the intelligen­tsia as well, and the method was: deporta­tion.Itstarted on May21,1951 inRudapest and continued for a whole year. Napoleon said, “Every revolution starts with die stomach.” But like in many other issues the Emperor was wrong. It’s true, the empty stomach starts rebellion, but the real cause of the revolution is the spiritual, intellectual hunger. The Hungarian people were disappointed with the new economic policies, but their biggest disappointment was that the communist regime tried to destroy the sentiment and spirituality of the Hungarian nation. The pursue of religion and church started on June 16, 1948 when the regime closed down all religious schools and institutions and nationalized them. Leaders of the his­torical churches were imprisoned. Ordass, evangelical, László Ravasz, Protestant, and Cardinal Joseph Minszenty, archbishop of Esztergom, were imprisoned. In 1950 thou­sands of monks, religious priests and nuns were taken into labor camps. I would be able to write books after books about the prosecution of religion and church under the communist regime, but our space is limited. Let me share with you the cultural poli­cies of the regime. Culture and civilization start in school. After the nationalization of schools in Hungary, public schools didn’t give good education and national identity, schools in Hungary copied the soviet com­munist, atheistic school system. The re­gime introduced a total censorship on the media. Newspapers, radios, theatres and films were under total control of the Com­munist Party. Famous writers and poets, as László Nemeth, Janos Kodolanyi, Joseph Erdélyi, István Sinka, Sándor Weöres, Lőrinc Szabó were not allowed to publish. It was a mis­take if someone preferred Dante over the Soviet Szurkov. It was forbidden to publish the Bible, but the History of the Soviet Communist Party was published in 530,000 copies and the Hungarian history was falsi­fied or ignored. The 1956 revolution was a just, histori­cal event The whole nation participated in it Students and teachers, young and old, the whole country hand in hand. There were poli lical prisoners and even members of the Communist Party, workers and farmers who brought food for the freedom-fighters, sol­diers who said, finally I fight for my own country. This revolution was bom from the spiri­tual interweave of the nation. Unity of the Hungarian nation was manifested in it. In the second half of the 20th century we Hungarians, in Budapest on Hungarian soil, lifted up the flag with the three historical words written on it, Freedom, Equality and Fraternity. I think, without any haughtiness and arrogance, we Hungarians can be proud of our 1956 Revolution. ROOFING SHINGLES LEADERS JOHN BOGNÁR ROOFING & SIDING 73 Melrose Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06605 (203) 579-4316 Free Estimates« Full Insurance GUTTERS SIDINGS page 1

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