Hungarian People's Union
Encyclopedia
The Hungarian People's Union was a left-wing political party
active in Romania
between 1934 and 1953, claiming to represent the Hungarian community. Until 1944, it was called the Union of Hungarian Workers of Romania (Magyar Dolgozók Országos Szövetsége or Uniunea Oamenilor Muncii Maghiari din România, generally known under its Hungarian-language acronym MADOSZ).
In September 1932, a faction of the Magyar Party
created a dissident movement around the weekly Cluj
publication Fálvak Nepe ("Lumea satelor" or "The World of the Villages"). In June 1933, this movement coalesced into the Magyar Opposition (Opoziţia Maghiară), whose leadership included members of the Romanian Communist Party
(PCR). The Opposition's local committees and the initiative committees of the Hungarian populace, organised around the Cluj magazine Nepákarat ("Voinţa poporului" or "The Will of the People") starting in September 1933, turned into committees of the new, legal organisation MADOSZ.
MADOSZ was formally established on August 20, 1934 at Târgu Mureş. The party programme called for defending the peasantry from higher taxes, an end to abuses against grape-growers and loggers, a joint struggle with ethnic Romanian
workers for the granting of specific demands, and respect for democratic rights and freedoms. Sándor Szepesi was its president from 1934 to 1937, while Gyárfás Kurkó held the post from 1937 to 1938. Other notable members included Imre Gál, Lajos Mezei, Ion Vincze
and László Bányai. From April to November 1934, its official publication was Székelyföldi Néplap ("Gazeta populară din secuime" or "Popular Székely Gazette").
MADOSZ found itself under the influence of the PCR. In the fall of 1934, it created action committees to train in rebellion the entire population of the Ghimeş Valley (peasants as well as loggers), an action targeting the Romanian state. It collaborated with organisations supported by the communists, declaring itself against fascism
and Miklós Horthy
-style revisionism
. Like all other political parties extant in Romania, MADOSZ was dissolved on March 30, 1938.
After the King Michael Coup of August 23, 1944, numerous followers of Horthy entered MADOSZ. Under the protective shield of democracy, they undertook many destabilising actions, particularly in Transylvania
. On October 16, 1944, the Braşov
Conference decided to transform MADOSZ into the Hungarian People's Union, which recognised the leading role of the PCR. It obtained 29 seats at the 1946 election
. The party supported the governments that held power from March 6, 1945 onwards, focusing on the creation of a privileged situation for the Hungarian minority. It dissolved itself in 1953.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
active in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
between 1934 and 1953, claiming to represent the Hungarian community. Until 1944, it was called the Union of Hungarian Workers of Romania (Magyar Dolgozók Országos Szövetsége or Uniunea Oamenilor Muncii Maghiari din România, generally known under its Hungarian-language acronym MADOSZ).
In September 1932, a faction of the Magyar Party
Magyar Party (Romania)
The Magyar Party was a political party in post-World War I Romania.The party had a heterogeneous structure, including bourgeois and landowners, peasants, workers, intellectuals and city-dwellers...
created a dissident movement around the weekly Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
publication Fálvak Nepe ("Lumea satelor" or "The World of the Villages"). In June 1933, this movement coalesced into the Magyar Opposition (Opoziţia Maghiară), whose leadership included members of the Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
(PCR). The Opposition's local committees and the initiative committees of the Hungarian populace, organised around the Cluj magazine Nepákarat ("Voinţa poporului" or "The Will of the People") starting in September 1933, turned into committees of the new, legal organisation MADOSZ.
MADOSZ was formally established on August 20, 1934 at Târgu Mureş. The party programme called for defending the peasantry from higher taxes, an end to abuses against grape-growers and loggers, a joint struggle with ethnic Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
workers for the granting of specific demands, and respect for democratic rights and freedoms. Sándor Szepesi was its president from 1934 to 1937, while Gyárfás Kurkó held the post from 1937 to 1938. Other notable members included Imre Gál, Lajos Mezei, Ion Vincze
Ion Vincze
Ion Vincze was a Romanian communist politician and diplomat...
and László Bányai. From April to November 1934, its official publication was Székelyföldi Néplap ("Gazeta populară din secuime" or "Popular Székely Gazette").
MADOSZ found itself under the influence of the PCR. In the fall of 1934, it created action committees to train in rebellion the entire population of the Ghimeş Valley (peasants as well as loggers), an action targeting the Romanian state. It collaborated with organisations supported by the communists, declaring itself against fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
-style revisionism
Irredentism
Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan-nationalist movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural...
. Like all other political parties extant in Romania, MADOSZ was dissolved on March 30, 1938.
After the King Michael Coup of August 23, 1944, numerous followers of Horthy entered MADOSZ. Under the protective shield of democracy, they undertook many destabilising actions, particularly in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. On October 16, 1944, the Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
Conference decided to transform MADOSZ into the Hungarian People's Union, which recognised the leading role of the PCR. It obtained 29 seats at the 1946 election
Romanian general election, 1946
The Romanian general election of 1946 was a general election held on November 19, 1946, in Romania. Officially, it was carried with 79.86% of the vote by the Romanian Communist Party , its allies inside the Bloc of Democratic Parties , and its associates — the Hungarian People's Union , the...
. The party supported the governments that held power from March 6, 1945 onwards, focusing on the creation of a privileged situation for the Hungarian minority. It dissolved itself in 1953.