Baják László Ihász István: The Hungarian National Museum History Exhibition Guide 4 - The short century of survival (1900-1990) (Budapest, 2008)

Room 16. From the Belle Epoch to the Collapse of the Monarchy (1900-1919). László Baják

unable to prevent its territorial integrity, as the revolutionary government had disarmed its returning soldiers according to Entente-friendly principles and pacifism. The country's territories shrank day by day and virtually without resistance to the southern Slav, Romanian and Czech forces. The right of nations to self government proclaimed by America's President Wilson had long ceased to apply to Hungary. Neither had the revolution been any more successful in terms of domestic policy. Given the situation, the spread of citizens' rights only augmented anarchy, and difficulties in distribution coupled with social problems did nothing to help. There was no redistribution of land or elections, either. Because of the dissatisfaction and radicalisation of the masses, the alarmed social democrat leaders, in an unprecedented move, opened political discussions with the communist leaders who had been imprisoned for kindling insurrection, and especially with Béla Kun, who had been voted leader of the party while in Soviet Russia. Later on, Károlyi Mihály was to write this of the surprising situation: "It was the prisoner Kun, who still bore the marks of police beatings, who dictated, and the socialist ministers who took notice of his instructions... Later, Béla Kun confessed that this unexpected victory had taken him totally by surprise. He demanded the maximum, but had not calculated that he would get it. Power simply fell into his lap. Neither the non-socialist members of the government nor I was informed of this crucial resolution." However, it was the Entente that truly opened the way to the transfer to communist power. The government was unable to accept a new set of drastic demands (the Vyx note) and resigned. On March 21 a proclamation appeared on the streets which together with Károlyi's forged signature announced that the President of the Republic had handed over power to the representatives of the workers. The council (= soviet) had democracy and private ownership abolished Drawn, contoured commemorative certificate using the lines of Lajos Hatvány and depicting the day-by-day history of the Aster Revolution Mihály Bird: Valedictory: advertisement for the book, "Funeral Hymn of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy" (poster, 1918) but acknowledged as its own the principles of proletarian internationalism. It reorganised legislative and executive powers, banned all bourgeois parties and societies, did away with the middle-class press and bourgeois rights in general. It nationalised the large and medium-size estates, factories employing more than 20 workers, the banks, retail and wholesale outlets, ten-