Hungarian Soviet Republic

(1919)

The Hungarian Soviet Republic was short-lived soviet republic, which lasted from March 21 to August 1, 1919.

Under pressure from the revolutionary masses, the petty-bourgeois government of Count Károlyi was obliged to resign and hand over power to the Social-Democratic Party. The latter, lacking any authority among the masses, had to share power with the leaders of the Hungarian Communist Party. A Council of People's Commissars was formed, comprising both Communists (Bela Kun, Tibor Szamuely, Eugen Varga and others) and Social-Democrats.

The Entente replied to this revolution with blockade and war, hurling at Red Hungary the White troops of Romania and Czechoslovakia. After a four months' struggle the Romanian army took Budapest and proclaimed the dictatorship of Admiral Horthy.

The organiser of the Red Army, Tibor Szamuely, was killed while trying to cross the border from Hungary into Austria, tens of thousands of Communists and proletarians were shot, and some emigrated to Austria, where they were set free thanks to intervention by Soviet Russia.

Documents

The Constitution of the Hungarian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic
March 21: Agreement, concluded in the Budapest prison between the communist party and the social-democratic parties of Hungary
March 28: Appeal to the Workers and Soldiers of all Countries from the Communist International (alternate translation)
March: Letter of the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) to the Congress of Hungarian Communists
June 12: To the Conference of the Socialist Party in Hungary, Central Executive Committee of the Communist International
July: Appeal of the ECCI on Behalf of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Hungarian Socialists Appeal to the Entente Workers
The Last Appeal of the Hungarian Soviet Government to the Working Class of Hungary
August 5: ECCI statement on the fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic