A young premier who bore responsibility at the revolution’s threshold
He later recalled accepting the premiership as “a bad decision.”
András Hegedüs was a Hungarian Communist politician and sociologist whose path ran from loyal cadre of the Rákosi regime to critic of the system. Backed by Rákosi and Ernő Gerő, he became prime minister, but during the 1956 Revolution he signed the appeal for Soviet military intervention and bore responsibility for a paralysed leadership. After returning from Moscow, he built a significant career in sociology, protested the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia, and was expelled from the party.
Career Timeline
- 1942Joined the illegal Hungarian Communist Party
- 1945–1947National secretary of MADISZ
- 1951–1953Minister responsible for agriculture
- 1953–1955First deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers
- 1955–1956Chairman of Hungary’s Council of Ministers
- 1956Signed the appeal for Soviet intervention during the revolution
- 1963–1968Founded and led the Hungarian Academy of Sciences sociology group
- 1973Expelled from the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party