Fraternity-Testvériség, 1962 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1962-09-01 / 9. szám
FRATERNITY 13 Kádár himself, in his first radio speech as the head of a group which announced the formation of a new government, condemned both the deposed Rákosi-Gerő clique and the alleged “Fascist elements who have exploited the mistakes of the past and misled the workers and the youth.” Kádár pledged his government to meet a number of the demands for greater liberty for which the people had risen in revolt. He called on the wmrkers to lay down their arms and return to work. He promised that “after the restoration of order and calm, the Hungarian Government will begin negotiations with the Soviet Government and with the other participants of the Warsaw Treaty about the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary.” None of these promises lessened the shock and bitterness of the masses. It was obvious that Kádár changed his allegiance and became a spokesman of the Soviet forces, which were shooting up their cities and villages, forcing Nagy, the Premier of their legally constituted Government, and his aids to abandon their posts. While Nagy and his friends found refuge in the Yugoslav Embassy, the battle of Budapest continued for ten days. In several cities in Transdanubia and in Northern Hungary centers of resistance held out until mid-November. When armed resistance came to an end, the workers decided on a campaign of strikes and passive resistance, which lasted until the middé of January 1957. Martial law was then introduced, bringing summary jurisdiction, detention, imprisonment, deportations and executions. By the end of May 1957, it was estimated that at least 20,000 political prisoners wrere in jail and a new State Security police was given extensive powrers to search and arrest, with the result that repression continued with mounting intensity. On
