105 years ago/March 21, 1919

The Hungarian Soviet Republic

One of the most controversial periods of the modern Hungarian history is the 133 days of the Magyar Tanácsköztársaság (Hungarian Soviet Republic; officially: Magyarországi Szocialista Szövetséges Tanácsköztársaság/Hungarian Federative Republic of Councils in Hungary). It was proclaimed on March 21, 1919, after the leaders of the – also short-lived – Hungarian People’s Republic resigned, because they didn’t want to take the responsibility for any decision about the so called Vix Note.

The Tanácsköztársaság is mentioned as communist state, however its background was more complicated. The short-lived state dealt with social inequalities in Hungary, and take very progressive measures. The reorganisation of the army and the successful northern campaign made the Tanácsköztársaság popular temporarily and were supported by conservative officers as well. On the other hand, the vörösterror (Red Terror, in contrast the fehérterror/White Terror after the fall of the Tanácsköztársaság) used against the internal opponents of the state resulted in an infamous reputation.

The afterlife of the Tanácsköztársaság has been complicated as well. In the following Horthy Era, the Hungarian leadership fundamentally declared itself counterrevolutionary and anticommunist. After the Second World War, during the communist era, the anniversary of the proclamation of the Tanácsköztársaság was celebrated in every year until 1989. After the change of regime there was a chance to research this period on a less one-sided basis, however the Orbán-regime, which has been ruling Hungary since 2010, and declared itself conservative, right-wing, and named the “communists” one of the scapegoats of the country, is interested to emphasize the negative depiction of the Tanácsköztársaság.