Fraternity-Testvériség, 1962 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1962-03-01 / 3. szám
FRATERNITY 7 book, “The Revolt of the Mind”, discuss the disillusions, anxieties and agonies of the writers, which finally brought them into conflict with the Party oligarchy. The Party’s leadership was stunned. The memorandum was signed by members of the Part}', some of them old-time Communists who were supposed to follow the Party line blindly, without a question or a murmur. The regime took care of them handsomely; they had every available comfort. What prompted them to this move ? The writers were frustrated and embittered. They were repelled by slogans and cliches, which they were expected to present to their readers. Eight years after the Communist take-over of Hungary they had little illusions left about the regime they first supported with zeal. Slowly and in many instances reluctantly they came to the conclusion that their continued support of the regime’s policies would mean a betrayal of the principles and ideals they had espoused. The regime reacted swiftly. The writers were warned that criticism or deviation would not be tolerated. A Party resolution told them that “it has been the duty of the Party and the State, and it will continue to be their duty to prevent the publication of works which would damage the people’s democracy, mislead the people and slander the system.” The signers of the memorandum were pressed and cajoled to withdraw their signatures. The majority, fearing reprisals, withdrew their names, but some of the most prominent writers held out. Their open rebellion could not be kept a secret. The spokesmen of the regime attacked them, and every attack made the significance of the rebellion larger in the public mind. The writers soon received an unexpected support. Nikita Khrushchev at the XXth Congress of the Soviet Communist Party exposed
