Darker History of Hungary - Budapest (5)

While I studied with many colleagues in Sweden from Russia and countries formerly part of the Soviet Union, this trip to Hungary was my first experience IN a former Soviet country. When I asked Cy what impression she had from her Hungarian colleagues and teachers about the Soviet period she said some were nostalgic for the Soviet period, in that they missed the stability of life - or something like that. Many of these people were not alive however during the worst of the Soviet period in Hungary the 50s and 60s in particular.

During my visit Cy and Jayson took me to the TerrorHaza, or the House of Terror. Not an uplifting museum but very well put together I think. The building at 60 Andrassy Boulevard in the past functioned (perhaps ironically) both as a headquarters for the Germans and their local proxy group the Arrow Cross Party in 1944 and then between 1945 and 1956 the communist secret police used the building for their base. Here is the only photo I could take inside the museum.














According to the museum's brochure "this museum commemorates the victims of terror, but it is also a momento, reminding us of the dreadful acts of terrorist dictatorships".

Now, prior to going to the museum I had little insight into what life in Hungary was like in the years leading up to and following WWII until the fall of communism. My impression, from the English language explanations at the museum, was that everyone was effected by the the war and/or the 40+ years of Soviet occupation.

- The Nazis -
Hungary was severly weakened by the final decisions made by the Treaty of Versailles after WWI and this made it vulnerable during WWII. Hungary lost 2/3 of its territory, which resulted in more than 3 million Hungarians residing as minorities in many neighboring countries created through the Treaty of Versailles.

Geographically, Hungary was also in a buffer zone between the Germans and the Red Army. Even during WWII Hungary operated under a democratic system, that is until the Nazi occupation in 1944. In May 1944 the deportation trains for Jewish Hungarians began operating - and 437,402 Jews were transported to labor/death camps - many went to Auschwitz - and most died.

Under the Arrow Cross party the Hungarian and German armies fought against the Soviets in Budapest. The Germans lost Budapest after a 6 month siege ending in February 1945. The final German stand was in March 1945, but they were defeated by the Red Army. When this happened more than 1 million fled Hungary as the Red Army came in.

- The Communist Period -
Although the success of the Red Army drove out the Nazis; persecution of Hungarians continued in other forms. 200,000 Hungarians of German descent were stripped of their lands and deported to Germany. Additionally, many Hungarians living in new states (created in the Treaty of Versailles) were forced to leave their lands and return to the smaller Hungarian state.

There was also a campaign against the "kulaks", a term that in general referred to farmers with more than 13 hectares of land, although others were also targetted. The quantity they were required to provide to the state was tripled and they could only keep what little remained for themselves. Kulak beating brigades were established to keep the farmers inline and drive them off their lands. This served to drive people to the cities to work for heavy industry but also resulted in food shortages. The kulaks were also blamed for the food shortages. Private farms were liquidated and replaced by collectivization in the 1960s. More than 300,000 'kulaks' that faced trials in the early years of communism where they were guilty unless they could prove themselves innocent...

As mentioned in other posts religion was also oppressed during the Soviet time, and the power of the Catholic Church over Hungarians (of whom most identified as Catholic) was seen as a particularly significant threat. The police threatened and harrassed churches and church institutions. Denominational schools were nationalized, salaries for priests, pastors, and rabbis were set below the poverty level, and church leaders unwilling to cooperate with the State were forced to emigrate, given long prison sentences, and/or threatened.

There were also 2 waves of Abductions in the early years of communism. Those abducted were taken to work camps. The first wave of abductions is estimated to have involved nearly 10,000 citizens. The 2nd wave was much bigger. The 2nd wave began with the abductions of German residents, and ones with German sounding names, and then Hungarians in order for the secret police to fill their quotas as set by the USSR's State Defense Committee. Anyone deemed a threat to communism was taken - this amounted to between 130,000-180,000 citizens being taken to camps where they worked on dam projects, road building etc. Many never returned home.

The total of abducted citizens and former Hungarian army members (who fought with the Nazis) who died in Soviet work camps is estimated to be 300,000.

- The 1956 Revolution -
In March 1953 Stalin died, and so began a glimmer of hope for the Hungarian resistance movement. This flame grew when in spring 1955 the Austrian State Treaty was signed and Austria became an independent country again. Unfortunately, one day before the signing of this treaty then Hungarian Prime Minister Andras Hegedus joined the Warsaw Pact.

In February 1956 in Krushchev's speech to the Communist Party some crimes of the Stalinist Era came to light, which in many ways morally tainted the commmunist system.

The Hungarian resistance quietly grew and on Oct 23 1956 demonstrations in Budapest and other cities in Hungary broke out. The demonstrations were mainly led by students and many ordinary people joined them. The march for rights became even more vital for participants when the secret police opened fired on the peaceful demonstrators. On Oct 28 the Soviet & Hungarian leadership gave some ground. A new Prime Minister, Imre Nagy, was swept to power. Nagy ordered an immediate truce, Soviet troops started to leave Budapest, and free elections were promised.

By Oct 31 the Soviet leadership changed its mind, and became determined to crush the Hungarian freedom fight. Hungary withdrew from the Warsaw Pact, but it was too late. On Nov. 4 Soviet tanks moved into the capital and by the middle of Nov had destroyed the resistance movement. 2,000 died, 20,000 were wounded, 15,000 were arrested, and 200,000 left the country. 229 were executed for the events of the 1956 Revolution, including the Prime Minister Imre Nagy.

The next free elections to take place in Hungary was in 1990 after the fall of Communism in 1989.

Of course as an outsider looking in, it is hard to know what really happened. I did not talk with any Hungarians during my short visit. What I will remember for a long time though was a video that was running in the museum that involved interviews with women who were sent to (and survived) work camps. I will share two of their stories briefly:

1 - Wrong Place to Park the Car
One woman told a story about an actress who was rather famous in Hungary at the time. This actress was riding around in a car with her boyfriend. At some point the woman and her boyfriend pulled off to the side of the road and started to kiss. Unfortunately, they pulled over near the home of one of the secret police. As a result of their mistake the woman was sent to a work camp for 3 years.

2 - Why Not Her Too?
As mentioned above, the secret police had quotas for how many people they needed to abduct and send to work camps. One woman told how while sitting at home for dinner one night with her husband and father the secret police arrived and decided to arrest her husband and father. Then they looked at her and said, what should we do with the woman? Well they had to pull in 10 people that day and to take her would make it 11 and look good for their record of meeting the quota so they took her too, and she was sent away for 5 years.

If you want more information about the museum you can go to: http://www.terrorhaza.hu/