István Ries
Encyclopedia
Dr. István Ries was a Hungarian
politician and jurist, who served as Minister of Justice between 1945 and 1950, during the transition period to the communism
in Hungary.
, which located in Veszprém County. His father, Bernát was a land tenant and migrated to the Roman Catholic during István's young age. He also received a Catholic upbringing. He started the school in Budapest
and took the final exam in Székesfehérvár
. He finished his law studies in Budapest. He founded a lawyer office in 1912. He was a member of the Galilei Circle during his high-school years.
During the First World War he was conscripted in 1914 between the firsts. He was captured by the Russian
s and he experienced the October Revolution
as a prisoner of war
. He returned to home in June 1918. At the time of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
he was a performer for the People's Committee of Education, then participated in the Winter Campaign as a soldier of the Hungarian Red Army
. After the fall of the communist rule he emigrated to Vienna
. He returned to Hungary in 1921 and worked as a lawyer again. He joined to the Hungarian Social Democratic Party
in 1924. He became a member of the party's leadership in 1933. During his lawyer's activity he protected the persecuted members of the labour movement
and published articles for the Népszava
and Szocializmus at several times. As a result his name became well-known in the social democratic circles.
He tried to gain a parliamentarian seat on the 1935 and 1939 elections but he was not successful. After the Nazi occupation of Hungary
he moved to illegality.
on 2 April 1945. He was appointed Minister of Justice of the Interim National Government on 21 Jule 1945. He hold the minsiterial position until his arrest. During his ministership the suspects of the 1942 raid in Novi Sad
were consigned illegally to the authorities of Yugoslavia
in 1946, but he did not took part in the working out of the show trial
s because of he was being restored.
He tendered his resignation in 1947 along with other ministers of the MSZDP due to the inner debates. The problems were resolved so he could stay in his position. Though Mátyás Rákosi
and Ernő Gerő
did not forgive him. From this it was sidelined starting him. Despite of this thing he became a member of the Central Leadership of the Hungarian Working People's Party (MDP) which created from the merge of the Communist Party of Hungary and the Hungarian Social Democratic Party. As justice minister he had a significant role in the acceptane of the new Constitution of Hungary
. The Communist-controlled parliament adopted the constitution as Act XX of 1949. The date of its adoption, 20 August, made a new national holiday that coincided with the traditional holiday of the feast of Saint Stephen. The document has been described as "a slavish imitation of the Soviet-type constitutions, with some variations resulting from the historical and political differences between the Soviet Union
and Hungary". (Specifically, it was modelled on the "Joseph Stalin
" 1936 Soviet Constitution
.) Now, Hungary became a people's republic, which was "the state of the workers and working peasants".
trial but before the case he was slay
ed in the Vác
prison by thugs of Gyula Princz. Miklós Bauer, a member of the State Protection Authority
also participated in Ries' torture. According to his memorandum he tried to increase the politician's humiliation before the interrogation with "scolding, spitting and some slaps".
Ries was rehabilitated in 1956 during the De-Stalinization
.
and of the Board of the Hungarian Referees.
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...
politician and jurist, who served as Minister of Justice between 1945 and 1950, during the transition period to the communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Hungary.
Early career
He was born into a wealthy Jewish family in KüngösKüngös
- External links :*...
, which located in Veszprém County. His father, Bernát was a land tenant and migrated to the Roman Catholic during István's young age. He also received a Catholic upbringing. He started the school in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and took the final exam in Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
. He finished his law studies in Budapest. He founded a lawyer office in 1912. He was a member of the Galilei Circle during his high-school years.
During the First World War he was conscripted in 1914 between the firsts. He was captured by the Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
s and he experienced the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. He returned to home in June 1918. At the time of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist state established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I....
he was a performer for the People's Committee of Education, then participated in the Winter Campaign as a soldier of the Hungarian Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. After the fall of the communist rule he emigrated to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He returned to Hungary in 1921 and worked as a lawyer again. He joined to the Hungarian Social Democratic Party
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...
in 1924. He became a member of the party's leadership in 1933. During his lawyer's activity he protected the persecuted members of the labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
and published articles for the Népszava
Népszava
Népszava is a Social-democratic newspaper established in 1877 in Budapest by Viktor Külföldi. It was the official newspaper of the Hungarian Social Democratic Party until 1948....
and Szocializmus at several times. As a result his name became well-known in the social democratic circles.
He tried to gain a parliamentarian seat on the 1935 and 1939 elections but he was not successful. After the Nazi occupation of Hungary
Operation Margarethe
During World War II, the Germans planned two discrete operations using the codename Margarethe.Operation Margarethe I was the occupation of Hungary by German forces on 19 March 1944. The Hungarian government was an ally of Nazi Germany, but had been discussing an armistice with the Allies...
he moved to illegality.
After the Second World War
He returned to the politics after the Siege of Budapest. He was elected to a member of the Interim National Assembly of HungaryNational Assembly of Hungary
The National Assembly or Diet is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter list members...
on 2 April 1945. He was appointed Minister of Justice of the Interim National Government on 21 Jule 1945. He hold the minsiterial position until his arrest. During his ministership the suspects of the 1942 raid in Novi Sad
1942 raid in Novi Sad
The 1942 raid in southern Bačka was a genocidal attack against civilians in Hungarian occupied Bačka in January 1942, after the Axis invasion and partition of Yugoslavia...
were consigned illegally to the authorities of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in 1946, but he did not took part in the working out of the show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
s because of he was being restored.
He tendered his resignation in 1947 along with other ministers of the MSZDP due to the inner debates. The problems were resolved so he could stay in his position. Though Mátyás Rákosi
Mátyás Rákosi
Mátyás Rákosi was a Hungarian communist politician. He was born as Mátyás Rosenfeld, in present-day Serbia...
and Ernő Gerő
Erno Gero
Ernő Gerő was a Hungarian Communist Party leader in the period after World War II and briefly in 1956 the most powerful man in Hungary as first secretary of its ruling communist party.-Life and career:...
did not forgive him. From this it was sidelined starting him. Despite of this thing he became a member of the Central Leadership of the Hungarian Working People's Party (MDP) which created from the merge of the Communist Party of Hungary and the Hungarian Social Democratic Party. As justice minister he had a significant role in the acceptane of the new Constitution of Hungary
Constitution of Hungary
The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary , its fundamental law, was adopted on 20 August 1949, and heavily amended on 23 October 1989. It is Hungary's first and only permanent written constitution; the country is the only former Eastern Bloc nation that did not adopt an entirely new constitution...
. The Communist-controlled parliament adopted the constitution as Act XX of 1949. The date of its adoption, 20 August, made a new national holiday that coincided with the traditional holiday of the feast of Saint Stephen. The document has been described as "a slavish imitation of the Soviet-type constitutions, with some variations resulting from the historical and political differences between 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....
and Hungary". (Specifically, it was modelled on the "Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
" 1936 Soviet Constitution
1936 Soviet Constitution
The 1936 Soviet constitution, adopted on December 5, 1936, and also known as the "Stalin" constitution, redesigned the government of the Soviet Union.- Basic provisions :...
.) Now, Hungary became a people's republic, which was "the state of the workers and working peasants".
Arrest and death
As reigning minister he was arrested on 7 July 1950 as based on a frame-up. His office term ended on 17 July formally. The regime wanted to sentence him in the Árpád SzakasitsÁrpád Szakasits
Árpád Szakasits was a Hungarian Social Democrat, then Communist political figure. He served as the President of Hungary from 2 August 1948 to 23 August 1949....
trial but before the case he was slay
Slayer rule
The slayer rule, in the common law of inheritance, is a doctrine that prohibits inheritance by a person who murders someone from whom he or she stands to inherit: e.g. a murderer does not inherit from parents they killed...
ed in the Vác
Vác
Vác is a town in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spellings of the name are Vacz and Vacs.-Location:...
prison by thugs of Gyula Princz. Miklós Bauer, a member of the State Protection Authority
State Protection Authority
The State Protection Authority was the secret police force of Hungary from 1945 until 1956. It was conceived of as an external appendage of the Soviet Union's secret police forces, but attained an indigenous reputation for brutality during a series of purges beginning in 1948, intensifying in 1949...
also participated in Ries' torture. According to his memorandum he tried to increase the politician's humiliation before the interrogation with "scolding, spitting and some slaps".
Ries was rehabilitated in 1956 during the De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization refers to the process of eliminating the cult of personality, Stalinist political system and the Gulag labour-camp system created by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was succeeded by a collective leadership after his death in March 1953...
.
Sport diplomacy
Beside the political functions Ries also served in several sport offices. He was a member of the Highest Five Sport Council and from 1947 served as chairman of the Sport High Council and of the Friendship Sport Centrum. Between 1947 and 1950 he was the President of the Hungarian Football FederationHungarian Football Federation
The Hungarian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Hungary. It organizes the Hungarian league and the Hungarian national team. It is based in Budapest.György Szepesi was Chairman of the Hungarian Football Association from 1978 to 1986....
and of the Board of the Hungarian Referees.