My Own Trial

Man...did u fool me. (Matyas Rakosi)

Late August, 1950.

Mátyás Rákosi had just informed me that former Social Democratic party leader Árpád Szakasits pleaded guilty for being a spy with the opposing capitalistic regime. Unfortunately, his arrest led to a domino effect on all former Social Democrats, and basically anybody who held any form of power. The purging of these officials numbered in the millions, and I was undoubtedly among those who were being questioned of communist fidelity. Moreover, Rákosi had sprouted a new sense of distrust towards my well being, which led me to my resignation as Minister of the Interior. In hopes of mitigating my offenses, I wrote a series of letters to rebuff my supposed actions, but that backfired as it instead aggravated my position among the communist leaders.

Ultimately, I gave in to my actions and admitted my mistakes, and even offered to resign from my beloved politics. But that seemed out of the question as I retained, and even renewed, my seats in the Central Committee and the Politburo (Political Bureau).

Whewww…was my initial reaction.

But…Rákosi is a devious man. He definitely had me fooled.

It was March, 1951, and I was at home taking care of my sickly wife, Maria, when I was called by the Hungarian hierarchy to meet them at their party headquarters. Shortly after I left the house, I was stopped by some men who claimed to be ÁVH (Államvédelmi Hatóság) officers and thus began the process of my incarceration. I then learned that I, along with my fellow peers, Sándor Zöld and Gyula Kállai, were ordered by Soviet leaders to be imprisoned and I, specifically, was to be interrogated for my supposed role as a spy for Horthy’s police (Miklós Horthy was the conservative leader of Hungary during the interwar years and WWII).

My interrogation process was dreadful…a severe understatement to say the least. I was physically beaten, covered in mercury to prevent my skin pores from breathing (who in the world does that?), and even forced to drink the urination of my fellow interrogation officer (haha…yeah). I was eventually found guilty and sentenced for life. But my confinement only lasted three years, and I was released to find that Imry Nagy had just been elected prime minister, carrying along all his liberal-minded reforms. Therefore, I, the great Janos Kadar, began my keen intervention in the Hungary Revolution of 1956.

Early Years

People were always curious as to how I spent my childhood. And I always seemed to give some terse reply as I believed it was beneath my interests during my years of being a politician.

But now, as an old and decaying old hag in the ever-changing state of Hungary, I finally have the opportunity to fully elaborate on my adolescent years.

I was born into a family, or lack thereof (I never met my father as stated before in an earlier post), during the holiday season of 1912 and thus my mother had trouble finding a job to support my well-being. Luckily, she persuaded the Bálint family to take care of me as she continued the process of finding an occupation in the capital city of Budapest. Months went by without her presence, and she only visited me during the holidays, and sadly, we didn’t have very many holidays. Anyhow, I was supposedly to be raised during those years by my foster father, Imre Bálint, but it was his brother, Sándor Bálint, who I labeled as my “true” foster guardian. However, at the age of six, my mother reclaimed me and then…did something dreadful.

She enrolled me into school. I. HATE. SCHOOL.

Why? I was constantly bullied due to my foreign manners and peasant condition by both students and teachers. Anyways, I gave school secondary effort (despite me being very bright in the classroom), which was repaid with some occasional quibbling and punishment from my mother. I did, however, enjoy reading, which failed to impress anybody and lead to my title as a “gentlemen of leisure”. But looking back at it, my mother did try with her utmost efforts to ensure me a higher education that surpassed her own. She worked night and day, with multiple shifts in two professions (her hands were practically worn out…disfigured actually).

Moving on, I left school in 1926 and then spent my time as a tools-maker apprentice. I was eventually promoted to assistant and after a short stint among the unemployed, joined an underground communist party that ultimately sparked my interest in Hungarian politics.

The Era of Kádár

For years, my country had sought their autonomy from Soviet influence.

And…man did they pay for it.  

So…I figured it was time for some “light reforms”.  And Yeah…hehehe.

First and foremost, I gave the Hungarian populace some breathing room as I lifted some restrictions in regards to speech and cultural aspects (my fellow Eastern Bloc counterparts…be jealous). I followed this act with some of my economic reforms (a.k.a. "Communism with a capitalist facelift."), legalizing small private enterprises, such as retail stores, restaurants, and artisan shops. The people, by no means however, experienced the freedom witnessed by their western counterparts. The state still maintained high surveillance over domestic affairs, and kept a close eye on resistance groups and advocated the masses to join political parties to enhance the well-being of the state. Fortunately, I had the secret police (they were actually quite frightening…) to my disposal to clean up the unwanted subjects under my regime. They were, however, widely considered very repressive, which I thought was extremely…tolerable (as a ruler…it is better to be feared than loved…something I learned in history class). Essentially , I was able to relieve my country of some Soviet suppression and even gained some beneficial relations towards the west.

Moving on, Hungary became an attractive tourist sight for foreigners under my regime. Due to my preference of a moral and civilized community (along with lighter travel restrictions), Hungary stood out from their neighboring satellite countries and drew in many visitors from close by and afar, namely Western Europe and North America, during the Cold War. However, when the barriers between Hungary and Austria were removed (opening a gaping hole in the “Iron Curtain”), access between East and West Germany became strikingly easy, which permitted the mass migration of East Germans into the likes of Hungary. Ultimately, the refugees spent most of their summer in my native state till they decided to continue further into Western Germany.

Hungarian Revolution of 1956

Whewww…

That was close.

I have never felt so tense and agitated in my entire life…no joke.

Everything can be summed up into two words…

Hungarian REVOLUTION (1956)

(Sigh…) The year 1953 stirred up quite a bit of excitement in my native Hungary. Joseph Stalin had just passed away and the Soviet grip began to wither in both domestic and foreign affairs. Thus, many satellite nations realized the opportunity of autonomy from Soviet dominance. Eventually, and inevitably, Hungary began its own process for liberalization, beginning with the reform-minded Imry Nagy.

Yet, being a supporter of communism throughout my former years, I decided it was best for Hungary to continue its regime under Soviet influence. Not to mention, a successful Hungarian revolution could create further catastrophe and kindle a new enemy in the great Soviet Union. Anyways, I decided my best interest was to inform the Soviet Embassy at Budapest of Nagy’s motive for Hungarian independence and the ever-growing interest of liberalization found in the hearts of the Hungarian youth.

And you know what? It worked.

I remember it vividly too. It was dawn, November 4^th, 1956. Soviet tanks under the command of the Red army quickly inhabited the city of Budapest and crushed the ill-minded idea of Hungarian autonomy. I, seated on one of the Soviet tanks, arrived into my capital city with my head held high and my motives clear. Soviet influence was to remain, and communism was to live and prosper. But like always, that came at a price, a price paid by the liberal minded students and workers who could no longer withstand Soviet domination. And to their credit, they stood before me, holding any weapon they could carry and any array of hope for their desired liberty with their revised Hungarian flag, that of which contained a whopping whole in the middle that used to be the emblem of communism; the hammer and sickle. More importantly, they held their ground, fully knowing that defeat was bound to happen.

The day ended with roughly 4000 Hungarian casualties and the echoing cry of “Help! Help! Help!” over the radio broadcast. And you know what? Help never came (I assumed that the Americans didn’t want to aggravate their conflict with the U.S.S.R.) and the uprising was ultimately crushed.

As for Nagy, he fled. His short-lived attempt for freedom lasted only…wait for it…THREE DAYS. Yeah, that’s right...three days. Anyhow, I replaced him as the new prime minister and thus, in my eyes, formally began my political career in the Hungarian hierarchy.

My Life Story...

Szia (Hello)!!!

My name is János Kádár (originally named János József Czermanek) and I was born (May 26, 1912) and raised in the small Hungarian village of Kapoly, just south of Lake Balaton; one of the most prominent lakes in central Europe.       

My childhood was abnormal to say the least. My mother, Borbála Czermanek, raised me herself with her own two hands complemented with her iron will. Unfortunately, I never met my father, and thus I never really learned much about him. Besides, asking my mother was fruitless as she refused to mention him every chance she could. But that was understandable and yet it still left me amongst the most bewildered of children. As for school, I hated it, plain and simple. I ditched if I had the opportunity as my only true punishment was a smack to the head, which was definitely worth the price. Yet ironically, I proved to be a well-rounded student. But the need to study and learn was never my primary option, and football was always waiting around the corner. Anyways, I left school at the age of 14 and ultimately acquired the profession of a typewriter mechanic in 1927 (they were held in high esteem…seriously).

And this is when my life gets interesting. At the age of 19, I participated in a trade union strike in hopes of spreading communism…hehehe. It failed. But…man was that exciting. I eventually joined the Communist Young Workers' Association (KIMSZ) in the year 1931 (I joined the Communist Party of Hungary a year later) and advanced quickly up their ranks till I became a member of their central committee. I was even given an alias: Róna (how cool is that?). Eventfully, I was later arrested on charges of spreading communism and being a communist...twice. And a few more times after that. Anyhow, it took some time for me to reach political stability in terms of my motives and goals. Basically, I jumped from place to place; I became First Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party, intervened with the Social Democratic party in fighting for the Hungarian Resistance against Nazi aggression in WWII ( I was deemed a war hero…sort of), and became a Minister of the interior at Budapest in 1948. Sadly, I was relieved of the latter in 1950. Safe to say, I was left in political limbo.

However, things got back on track when Matyas Rakosi ceased power of the Hungarian Communist Party.  You want to know why? It‘s because I was arrested for being perceived as a threat to his ambitions. I was tortured interrogated, held in solitary confinement, and for what you may ask? Nothing much actually; it just felt good to be relevant again. Anyways, shortly after I was released, Rakosi left office, and I was appointed First Secretary of the Budapest III. Moving on however, I was faced with the ever-growing concern of Imry Nagy’s liberalization process from the Warsaw pact. I mean seriously…what was he thinking? Anyways, his attempt for Hungarian independence was thwarted as the Red Army invaded Budapest (I literally sat on a Soviet tank upon arrival at the capital city) and along with the help of a special someone (me…hehehe), Nagy was replaced, the revolt was squashed, and yet many of Nagy’s economic reforms were retained. Nonetheless, I am proud to say that I had prevented some serious calamity and elevated my political status with my intervention in the Hungarian Uprising.

After the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, I continued the policy of a pro-soviet regime and emphasized some of their practices, namely collective farms. Moreover, I gained some favorable views with my decision to lift some restrictions on speech and movement, along with art and literature. To be honest, I really wanted the satellite countries to envy our renewed freedom, which was nonexistent in our neighboring counterparts. Furthermore, Hungary became a very attractive tourist spot under my regime, drawing many tourists from all over Europe, and eventually the world.

I remained in power till May 1988, and was eventually removed (I prefer resigned…) from office the following year. On the whole, I can be considered as one more moderate communist leader in the 20^th century. I was able to maintain the content of my people along with the Soviet Union, however hard that may seem to be. In essence, I truly lived and reigned the best of both worlds.