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Hungarian People's Republic

Hungarian People's Republic
Magyar Népköztársaság
Allied of the Soviet Union
Member of the Warsaw Pact
1949–1989
Flag (1957—89) Emblem (1957–89)
Motto
Világ proletárjai, egyesüljetek!
(Proletarians of all countries, unite!)
Anthem
Himnusz[a]
Hymn
Capital Budapest
Languages Hungarian
Religion None (state atheism)
Government Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist state
General Secretary
 •  1949–1956 Mátyás Rákosi
 •  1956 Ernő Gerő
 •  1956–1988 János Kádár
 •  1988–1989 Károly Grósz
Head of State
 •  1949–1950 (first) Árpád Szakasits
 •  1988–1989 (last) Brunó Ferenc Straub
Head of Government
 •  1949–1952 (first) István Dobi
 •  1988–1989 (last) Miklós Németh
Legislature National Assembly
Historical era Cold War
 •  Foundation 20 August 1949
 •  Admitted to the United Nations 14 December 1955
 •  Hungarian Revolution 23 October 1956
 •  Economic Mechanism 1 January 1968
 •  End of Communism 23 October 1989
Area
 •  1949 93,011 km² (35,912 sq mi)
 •  1955 93,030 km² (35,919 sq mi)
Population
 •  1949 est. 9,204,799 
     Density 99 /km²  (256.3 /sq mi)
 •  1970 est. 10,322,099 
     Density 111 /km²  (287.4 /sq mi)
 •  1990 est. 10,375,323 
     Density 111.5 /km²  (288.9 /sq mi)
Currency Forint
Internet TLD .hu
Calling code +36
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Second Hungarian Republic
Third Hungarian Republic
Today part of  Hungary
a. ^ "Himnusz" was used before and after the Communist era as Hungary's national anthem. As its lyrics include the word "God", the Communists tried but failed to create an alternative anthem and decided to use "Himnusz" without its words.

The Hungarian People's Republic (Hungarian: Magyar Népköztársaság) was a socialist state that administered Hungary from 20 August 1949 until 23 October 1989. It was governed by the Socialist Workers' Party, which was under the influence of the Soviet Union. The state remained in existence until 1989 when opposition forces consolidated in forcing upon the government to abandon communism. The state considered itself the heir to the Hungarian Soviet Republic, which was formed in 1919 as the first communist state created after Soviet Russia. It was designated a people's democratic republic by the Soviet Union in the 1940s. Geographically, it bordered Romania and the Soviet Union to the east; Yugoslavia to the south-west; Czechoslovakia to the north and Austria to the west.

Following the occupation of Hungary by the Red Army, Soviet military occupation ensued. After seizing most material assets from German hands, the Soviets tried, and to a certain extent managed, to control Hungarian political affairs. Using coercion through force, the Red Army set up police organs to persecute the opposition, assuming this would enable the Soviet Union to seize the upcoming elections, in conjunction with intense communist propaganda to attempt to legitimize their rule. The Hungarian Communist Party, despite all the efforts, was trounced, receiving only 17% of votes, by a Smallholder-led coalition under Prime Minister Zoltán Tildy, thus frustrating the Kremlin's expectations of ruling through a democratically elected government.


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