Hungarian parliamentary election, 1945
Encyclopedia
The Hungarian
parliamentary election of 1945 was held on 4 November of that year. It came at a turbulent moment in the country's history: World War II
had had a devastating impact; the Soviet Union
was occupying it, with the Hungarian Communist Party
growing in numbers; a land reform that March had radically altered the property structure; and inflation was rampant. The Independent Smallholders Party
won a sweeping victory, but its gains were gradually whittled away by Communist salami tactics
, fulfilling the prediction of their leader Mátyás Rákosi that the defeat would "not play an important role in Communist plans".
Elections (which had not taken place since 1939) were required by the Yalta Agreement
; moreover, the revolutionary social and political changes of 1945 were effected without popular consultation, and in view of the special ties developing that year between Moscow and Budapest (an agreement on close economic cooperation and the resumption of full diplomatic relations), the Western powers urged free elections and withheld acknowledging the Provisional Government until the Soviets agreed to hold them.
The election, by secret ballot and without census or fraud, was the most democratic and the freest in Hungary until 1990 — "the first free election ever held in Hungary". It was also one of only two truly honest elections to be held in what eventually became the Soviet bloc, the other being the 1946 Czechoslovak election. Only the leaders of the dissolved rightist parties, SS
volunteers and those interned or being prosecuted by the people's courts were barred from voting. The liberal electoral law was also supported by the Communists, who were not bothered by the failure of their proposal to field a single list of candidates on the part of the Communist-Social Democrat coalition parties, which would have ensured a majority for left-wing parties: intoxicated by their recruitment successes and misjudging the effect of the land reform on their appeal, they expected an "enthralling victory" (József Révai
predicted winning as much as 70%). To their bitter disappointment, the result was nearly the opposite: the Independent Smallholders Party
, winning the contest in all 16 districts, won 57% of the vote, the Social Democrats
won slightly above and the Communists slightly below 17%, and the National Peasant Party just 7% (the rest going to the Citizen Democrats' Party and the new Hungarian Radical Party of Oszkár Jászi
's followers).
Of the many reasons for the success of the Smallholders and the failure of the Communists was the fact that Cardinal József Mindszenty, head of the Hungarian Catholic hierarchy, infuriated at the loss of the overwhelming majority of its property without compensation and at the clergy's being excluded from voting upon Communist initiative, condemned the "Marxist evil" in a pastoral letter and called on the faithful to support the Smallholders, who upheld traditional values. Also, in this, Hungary's first election under full universal suffrage, and its only one where men and women voted with different-coloured ballot papers, women surprised the Communists by generally backing the Smallholders; the former launched a propaganda campaign implying these women were easily deceived or ignorant. Still, the verdict of 4.8 million voters, 90% of the enfranchised, was clear in general terms: they preferred parliamentary democracy based on private property and a market economy to socialism with state economic management and planning. They hoped these preferences would prevail in spite of the presence of Soviet occupying forces, who were expected to leave once a peace treaty was signed. However, guided by the same expectation and wishing to avoid confrontation until then, the Smallholders yielded to Marshal Kliment Voroshilov
(Chairman of the Allied Control Commission), who made it clear that a grand coalition in which the Communists preserved the gains already secured (that is, the Ministry of the Interior and control over the police) was the only kind of government acceptable to the Soviets.
After the election, on 9 November the four major parties divided the portfolios. The arrangement, in which the Smallholders took the Interior while the Communists obtained Finance, was rejected by Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov
, who instructed Voroshilov to renegotiate Interior and a deputy premier post for the Communists. A debate on the form of the state also ensued; Mindszenty led a vigorous monarchist campaign but despite some uncertainty among the Smallholders, a republic was chosen. The Smallholders' leader, Zoltán Tildy
, was elected president on 1 February 1946, while Ferenc Nagy
became prime minister of a government in which the Smallholders had half the portfolios. The Communists received the Interior (László Rajk
) and Deputy Premier (Mátyás Rákosi
) posts, as well as transport and social welfare. Enlisting the support of the Social Democrat and Peasant Party ministers, they would exploit these positions with tactical skill and ruthlessness against a Smallholder majority hesitant to take a tough line against the Soviet-supported left-wing grouping, especially after the Left Wing Bloc
was created on 5 March, emphasizing the exacerbation of class warfare and the need to proceed with social revolution.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
parliamentary election of 1945 was held on 4 November of that year. It came at a turbulent moment in the country's history: World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had had a devastating impact; the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
was occupying it, with the Hungarian Communist Party
Hungarian Communist Party
The Communist Party of Hungary , renamed Hungarian Communist Party in 1945, was founded on November 24, 1918, and was in power in Hungary briefly from March to August 1919 under Béla Kun and the Hungarian Soviet Republic. The communist government was overthrown by the Romanian Army and driven...
growing in numbers; a land reform that March had radically altered the property structure; and inflation was rampant. The Independent Smallholders Party
Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party
The Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party is a political party in Hungary...
won a sweeping victory, but its gains were gradually whittled away by Communist salami tactics
Salami tactics
Salami tactics, also known as the salami-slice strategy, is a divide and conquer process of threats and alliances used to overcome opposition. With it, an aggressor can influence and eventually dominate a landscape, typically political, piece by piece. In this fashion, the opposition is eliminated...
, fulfilling the prediction of their leader Mátyás Rákosi that the defeat would "not play an important role in Communist plans".
Elections (which had not taken place since 1939) were required by the Yalta Agreement
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
; moreover, the revolutionary social and political changes of 1945 were effected without popular consultation, and in view of the special ties developing that year between Moscow and Budapest (an agreement on close economic cooperation and the resumption of full diplomatic relations), the Western powers urged free elections and withheld acknowledging the Provisional Government until the Soviets agreed to hold them.
The election, by secret ballot and without census or fraud, was the most democratic and the freest in Hungary until 1990 — "the first free election ever held in Hungary". It was also one of only two truly honest elections to be held in what eventually became the Soviet bloc, the other being the 1946 Czechoslovak election. Only the leaders of the dissolved rightist parties, SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
volunteers and those interned or being prosecuted by the people's courts were barred from voting. The liberal electoral law was also supported by the Communists, who were not bothered by the failure of their proposal to field a single list of candidates on the part of the Communist-Social Democrat coalition parties, which would have ensured a majority for left-wing parties: intoxicated by their recruitment successes and misjudging the effect of the land reform on their appeal, they expected an "enthralling victory" (József Révai
József Révai
József Révai Hungarian communist politician.He was one of the founders of the Communist Party of Hungary in 1918. He lived in the Soviet Union between 1934 and 1944. 11 May,-27 September 1945 Rèvai was a member of the High National Council...
predicted winning as much as 70%). To their bitter disappointment, the result was nearly the opposite: the Independent Smallholders Party
Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party
The Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party is a political party in Hungary...
, winning the contest in all 16 districts, won 57% of the vote, the Social Democrats
Hungarian Social Democratic Party
The Hungarian Social Democratic Party is a political party in Hungary. Both the MSZDP and SZDP lay claim to the same heritage: the Social Democratic Party which was part of a governing coalition in Hungary between 1945 and 1948, and a short period in 1956, which itself was renamed from the...
won slightly above and the Communists slightly below 17%, and the National Peasant Party just 7% (the rest going to the Citizen Democrats' Party and the new Hungarian Radical Party of Oszkár Jászi
Oszkár Jászi
Oszkár Jászi , known in English as Oscar Jászi, was a Hungarian social scientist, historian, and politician and founder of the Grand Orient rhyte Freemason Lodge of Budapest: the Martinovics Lodge- Early years :...
's followers).
Of the many reasons for the success of the Smallholders and the failure of the Communists was the fact that Cardinal József Mindszenty, head of the Hungarian Catholic hierarchy, infuriated at the loss of the overwhelming majority of its property without compensation and at the clergy's being excluded from voting upon Communist initiative, condemned the "Marxist evil" in a pastoral letter and called on the faithful to support the Smallholders, who upheld traditional values. Also, in this, Hungary's first election under full universal suffrage, and its only one where men and women voted with different-coloured ballot papers, women surprised the Communists by generally backing the Smallholders; the former launched a propaganda campaign implying these women were easily deceived or ignorant. Still, the verdict of 4.8 million voters, 90% of the enfranchised, was clear in general terms: they preferred parliamentary democracy based on private property and a market economy to socialism with state economic management and planning. They hoped these preferences would prevail in spite of the presence of Soviet occupying forces, who were expected to leave once a peace treaty was signed. However, guided by the same expectation and wishing to avoid confrontation until then, the Smallholders yielded to Marshal Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , popularly known as Klim Voroshilov was a Soviet military officer, politician, and statesman...
(Chairman of the Allied Control Commission), who made it clear that a grand coalition in which the Communists preserved the gains already secured (that is, the Ministry of the Interior and control over the police) was the only kind of government acceptable to the Soviets.
After the election, on 9 November the four major parties divided the portfolios. The arrangement, in which the Smallholders took the Interior while the Communists obtained Finance, was rejected by Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, an Old Bolshevik and a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from the Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...
, who instructed Voroshilov to renegotiate Interior and a deputy premier post for the Communists. A debate on the form of the state also ensued; Mindszenty led a vigorous monarchist campaign but despite some uncertainty among the Smallholders, a republic was chosen. The Smallholders' leader, Zoltán Tildy
Zoltán Tildy
Zoltán Tildy , was an influential leader of Hungary, who served as Prime Minister from 1945–1946 and President from 1946-1948 in the post-war period before the seizure of power by Soviet-backed communists....
, was elected president on 1 February 1946, while Ferenc Nagy
Ferenc Nagy
Ferenc Nagy was a Hungarian politician of the Smallholders Party. He was a Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary from 29 November 1945 to 5 February 1946 and a member of the High National Council from 7 December 1945 to 2 February 1946.Later he served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 4...
became prime minister of a government in which the Smallholders had half the portfolios. The Communists received the Interior (László Rajk
László Rajk
László Rajk was a Hungarian Communist; politician, former Minister of Interior and former Minister of Foreign Affairs...
) and Deputy Premier (Mátyás Rákosi
Mátyás Rákosi
Mátyás Rákosi was a Hungarian communist politician. He was born as Mátyás Rosenfeld, in present-day Serbia...
) posts, as well as transport and social welfare. Enlisting the support of the Social Democrat and Peasant Party ministers, they would exploit these positions with tactical skill and ruthlessness against a Smallholder majority hesitant to take a tough line against the Soviet-supported left-wing grouping, especially after the Left Wing Bloc
Left Bloc (Hungary)
The Left Bloc was a political alliance in Hungary, functioning between 1946 and 1948. It was founded in Budapest, March 5, 1946. The Bloc included Magyar Kommunista Párt, Magyarországi Szociáldemokrata Párt, Nemzeti Parasztpárt and Szakszervezeti Tanács.-External links:*...
was created on 5 March, emphasizing the exacerbation of class warfare and the need to proceed with social revolution.