History - Change of regime

Crisis

• debt, widening gap b/w poor and rich

• financial and social problems, comparing to West > social crisis

• faliure of system obvious

Financial gap

• second jobs > 10-14 hours a day

• no second job > widening gap

Opposition circles

• ‘democratic opposition’ > human rights, secret lectures, samizdat publications (János Kis, Gábor Demszky)

• popular-national opposition > national issues (Sándor Csóri)

• Jogász Szakkollégium > Bibó István Szakkollégium > FIDESZ

Soviet Union

• lost arms race > Red Army couldn’t stay > allowed social and economic changes in satellite states

Parties

• Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF)

• Alliance of Young Democrats (FIDESZ)

• Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ)

• dissolution of communist party started

15th March 1988

• no mass protests allowed

• 100 000 people > freedom of press and democracy

Prime ministers

• Károly Grósz > cautious reforms > crisis unsolved

• Miklós Németh > Imre Pozsgai: 1956 revolution > compensated, reburied people

Right of peaceful assembly and association

• parties, protests

• Social Democrats

• Independent Smallholders (FKGP)

• Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP)

Economic changes

• private companies and company parts > spontaneous privatisation

• ruling elite > transfer power into new system

Negotiations

• Opposition Round Table > modification of fundamental laws

• free elections, financial support of opposition parties

Miklós Németh

• withdrawal of Red Army > negotiations

• opened Austrian border to East-German citizens

Hungarian Socialist Workers Party

• reform members (Imre Pozsgai, Rezső Nyers, Miklós Németh, Gyula Horn)

• Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP)

After the decleration of republic

• fierce political campaign > TV, radio, billboards, political fights

• electing president directly? > referendum > president elected by parliament

First parliamentary elections

• spring 1990

• MDF: József Antall PM, György Szabad Speaker

• SZDSZ: Árpád Göncz President

• president of Supreme Court of Justice: László Sólyom