Hungarian Communist Party

Lore & Background

The party was founded on November 24, 1918, as the Party of Communists in Hungary by Béla Kun, a former journalist who had been a POW in Russia. It came to power in March 1919, establishing the Hungarian Soviet Republic, which lasted 133 days before being overthrown by the Romanian Army. Kun was exiled to Vienna, and later many communists moved to Moscow. During the interwar period, membership dwindled, and the Comintern dissolved the party in 1936.

Reader's Guide

The Hungarian Communist Party's significance lies in its brief but impactful rule during the Hungarian Soviet Republic and its later successful consolidation of power after World War II. Despite starting with only 17 percent of the vote in postwar elections, the party under Mátyás Rákosi used salami tactics—pressuring non-Communist parties and labeling opponents as fascists—to eliminate rivals. With the backing of the Red Army, it forced a merger with the Social Democrats in 1948, creating the Hungarian Working People's Party and effectively establishing a one-party state. The party's legacy includes its role in the interwar communist movement as a member of Comintern and Cominform, and its transformation from a small, exiled group to a dominant political force.

Did You Know?

• The party originally named itself 'Party of Communists in Hungary' because most factory workers in Budapest were not ethnic Hungarians.
• During World War II, the party briefly operated under the name 'Peace Party' before reverting to the Communist Party name in 1944.
• The party's secret police launched a violent terror campaign in June 1919 after an attempted coup.