Károly Grósz
Encyclopedia
Károly Grósz was a Hungarian
communist
politician.
Grósz was born in Miskolc
, Hungary. He joined the Communist Party in 1945 at the age of 14. Soon the Communists had established a regime in Hungary, and Grósz rose through the party ranks, becoming an important party leader in his native region. In 1974 he was appointed head of the Department of Agitation and Propaganda of the governing Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
.
In 1979 Grósz was elected first secretary of the party committee of his home county. In 1984 he returned to national prominence as the head of the party committee in Budapest
. At the next Party Congress in 1985, he became a member of the Politburo. In 1987, he was appointed (Prime Minister of Hungary (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary
) to succeed György Lázár
, who had filled the post for more than eleven years. The appointment of the younger and more energetic Grósz was acclaimed both at home and abroad. As the country was facing economic troubles and growing discontent, the aging party leader János Kádár
decided to resign, although originally he had planned to remain in office until 1990. In May 1988 a party conference was convened, which elected Károly Grósz as general secretary of the party at Kádár's recommendation on May 22, 1988.
Grósz remained prime minister until later that year, when he was succeeded by Miklós Németh
, a representative of the radical reformer faction. He advocated moderate and measured changes in the political and economic spheres with the aim to accomplish a careful reform of socialism without touching the latter's foundations. He liked to call this a "model change" (i.e. reforms and refinements within socialism), as opposed to a total "system change", i.e. the replacement of socialism by a Western-style system.
However, he lost a good deal of his authority when he agreed to meet with Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu
to discuss what to do with a large number of ethnic Hungarians who had fled Romania. Many of Grósz' party colleagues thought he trusted Ceausescu too much. He lost a good deal of authority as a result, and was thus powerless to slow down the dramatic changes the country was undergoing in 1989.
He tried to slow down, stop or reverse the radical changes advocated by his adversaries that were aimed at establishing a Western-type political system and market economy in Hungary. He opposed the rehabilitation of the executed Imre Nagy
, Prime Minister during the 1956 revolution. Hoping to defuse the campaign to rehabilitate Nagy, Grósz broke the news of the latter's earlier NKVD
ties in a speech at the September 1, 1989 meeting of the HSWP Central Committee, but those present decided not to publish the facts. (Soviet KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov
had sent a dossier of incriminating KGB documents, both genuine and bogus, to Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
on Friday, June 16, 1989 - the same day that several hundred thousand Hungarians gathered in Heroes’ Square in Budapest to witness the ceremonial reburial of Nagy and several other leaders of the 1956 revolt who had been tried and executed in 1958). In February 1993, when Kryuchkov’s secret letter to Gorbachev was published in the Italian newspaper La Stampa
, Grósz gave an interview to the Hungarian newspaper Népszabadsag the following month, acknowledging that Nagy had indeed worked for the Soviet secret police in the 1930s and early 1940s
As 1989 wore on, Grósz was increasingly sidelined by the radical reformers within the party, including Rezső Nyers
, Gyula Horn
, Miklós Németh
and Imre Pozsgay
. In the summer of 1989, he became a member of a four-man collective presidency of the MSZMP, chaired by Nyers. However, he opposed the radical reformers' drive to reorganize the party along the concept of Western European social democracy
. He remained general secretary until October 7, when the party reorganized itself as the Hungarian Socialist Party
.
The communist ("hardline") faction, led by Grósz, was defeated at the congress and refounded itself in December 1989 as a new Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party with Grósz as its first acting chairman (later renamed Workers' Party and the 'Communist Workers' Party'). The party failed to win parliamentary representation in the first multiparty election in the newly formed Republic of Hungary.
He died of kidney cancer at age 65 in Gödöllő
, Hungary.
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...
communist
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...
politician.
Grósz was born in Miskolc
Miskolc
Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
, Hungary. He joined the Communist Party in 1945 at the age of 14. Soon the Communists had established a regime in Hungary, and Grósz rose through the party ranks, becoming an important party leader in his native region. In 1974 he was appointed head of the Department of Agitation and Propaganda of the governing Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...
.
In 1979 Grósz was elected first secretary of the party committee of his home county. In 1984 he returned to national prominence as the head of the party committee 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...
. At the next Party Congress in 1985, he became a member of the Politburo. In 1987, he was appointed (Prime Minister of Hungary (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary
Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary
The Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary was created following the founding of the People's Republic of Hungary. Along with the state itself, it was dissolved on 23 October 1989...
) to succeed György Lázár
György Lázár
György Lázár is a former Hungarian Communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1975 to 1987. He was retired in 1988.- Sources :* Any Hungarian high school book *...
, who had filled the post for more than eleven years. The appointment of the younger and more energetic Grósz was acclaimed both at home and abroad. As the country was facing economic troubles and growing discontent, the aging party leader János Kádár
János Kádár
János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...
decided to resign, although originally he had planned to remain in office until 1990. In May 1988 a party conference was convened, which elected Károly Grósz as general secretary of the party at Kádár's recommendation on May 22, 1988.
Grósz remained prime minister until later that year, when he was succeeded by Miklós Németh
Miklós Németh
Miklós Németh served as Prime Minister of Hungary from November 24, 1988 to May 23, 1990. He was one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party, Hungary's Communist party, in the tumultuous years that led to the collapse of communism in Eastern and Central Europe.As Prime Minister, Németh took...
, a representative of the radical reformer faction. He advocated moderate and measured changes in the political and economic spheres with the aim to accomplish a careful reform of socialism without touching the latter's foundations. He liked to call this a "model change" (i.e. reforms and refinements within socialism), as opposed to a total "system change", i.e. the replacement of socialism by a Western-style system.
However, he lost a good deal of his authority when he agreed to meet with Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
to discuss what to do with a large number of ethnic Hungarians who had fled Romania. Many of Grósz' party colleagues thought he trusted Ceausescu too much. He lost a good deal of authority as a result, and was thus powerless to slow down the dramatic changes the country was undergoing in 1989.
He tried to slow down, stop or reverse the radical changes advocated by his adversaries that were aimed at establishing a Western-type political system and market economy in Hungary. He opposed the rehabilitation of the executed Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy was a Hungarian communist politician who was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary on two occasions...
, Prime Minister during the 1956 revolution. Hoping to defuse the campaign to rehabilitate Nagy, Grósz broke the news of the latter's earlier NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
ties in a speech at the September 1, 1989 meeting of the HSWP Central Committee, but those present decided not to publish the facts. (Soviet KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov
Vladimir Kryuchkov
Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov was a former Soviet politician and Communist Party member, having been in the organization from 1944 until he was dismissed in 1991...
had sent a dossier of incriminating KGB documents, both genuine and bogus, to Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
on Friday, June 16, 1989 - the same day that several hundred thousand Hungarians gathered in Heroes’ Square in Budapest to witness the ceremonial reburial of Nagy and several other leaders of the 1956 revolt who had been tried and executed in 1958). In February 1993, when Kryuchkov’s secret letter to Gorbachev was published in the Italian newspaper La Stampa
La Stampa
La Stampa is one of the best-known, most influential and most widely sold Italian daily newspapers. Published in Turin, it is distributed in Italy and other European nations. The current owner is the Fiat Group.-History:...
, Grósz gave an interview to the Hungarian newspaper Népszabadsag the following month, acknowledging that Nagy had indeed worked for the Soviet secret police in the 1930s and early 1940s
As 1989 wore on, Grósz was increasingly sidelined by the radical reformers within the party, including Rezső Nyers
Rezső Nyers
Rezső Nyers is a former Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Finance between 1960 and 1962. For a few months in 1989, he was the country's last Communist leader.-Political career:...
, Gyula Horn
Gyula Horn
Gyula Horn is a Hungarian politician and the third Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, from 1994–1998....
, Miklós Németh
Miklós Németh
Miklós Németh served as Prime Minister of Hungary from November 24, 1988 to May 23, 1990. He was one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party, Hungary's Communist party, in the tumultuous years that led to the collapse of communism in Eastern and Central Europe.As Prime Minister, Németh took...
and Imre Pozsgay
Imre Pozsgay
Imre Pozsgay is a Hungarian, ex-Communist, politician who played a key role in Hungary's transition to democracy after 1988. He is currently an advisor to prime minister Viktor Orbán....
. In the summer of 1989, he became a member of a four-man collective presidency of the MSZMP, chaired by Nyers. However, he opposed the radical reformers' drive to reorganize the party along the concept of Western European social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
. He remained general secretary until October 7, when the party reorganized itself as the Hungarian Socialist Party
Hungarian Socialist Party
The Hungarian Socialist Party describes itself as a social democratic party in Hungary. It is the partial successor of the communist Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party , which ruled Hungary between 1956 and 1989. The decision to declare the party a successor of the MSZMP was controversial, and...
.
The communist ("hardline") faction, led by Grósz, was defeated at the congress and refounded itself in December 1989 as a new Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party with Grósz as its first acting chairman (later renamed Workers' Party and the 'Communist Workers' Party'). The party failed to win parliamentary representation in the first multiparty election in the newly formed Republic of Hungary.
He died of kidney cancer at age 65 in Gödöllő
Gödöllo
Gödöllő is a town situated in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary, about northeast from the outskirts of Budapest. Its population is about 31,000 according to the 2001 census. It can be easily reached from Budapest with the suburban railway . Gödöllő is home to the Szent István...
, Hungary.