István Balogh (politician)

Father István Balogh was a Hungarian priest and anti-communist politician who later tolerated the rule of the Hungarian Communist Party.

Initially associated with the Independent Smallholders Party he became a supporter of Nazism for a time during the 1930s and from his base in Debrecen formed a version of the Hungarian National Socialist Party. Both he and Sándor Festetics were elected to Parliament for this group in 1936.^[1] He was part of the Hungarian provisional government established in 1945 and travelled to Moscow to sign the 1945 armistice.^[2]

After the war Balogh led the Independent Hungarian Democratic Party (FMDP), a minor opposition group which was largely controlled by the government.^[3] His list captured 5.2% of the vote in the 1947 election^[4] although his opposition soon died down and he effectively co-operated with the communists despite his personal reservations.^[5] Although seen as a potential focus of dissent Balogh stayed away from any direct involvement in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.^[6]

References

1. Stanley G. Payne, A History of Fascism 1914-1945, London, Roultedge, 2001, p. 270
2. 'A Meeting with the Members of the Provisional Government'
3. "Too Much Medicine"
4. J Rothschild & N. W. Wingfield 'Return to Diversity', p. 100
5. László Borhi, Hungary in the Cold War, 1945-1956, p. 164
6. Felix, Christopher. The spy and his masters: A short course in the secret war. pp. 235-252. Secker & Warburg (1963)