REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

Zoltán PRESZTÓCZKI: Research of the Communist Period in Hódmezıvásárhely… 427
There are only a few documents related to the Vásárhely Smallholders’ Party. The
remaining files are stored by individuals (the descendants of the former party leaders), or
in the “Party-Archives”, or in Érd – at the Smallholders’ Archives. Along the documents
an important type of source is the local media (newspapers, like the Vásárhely Népe,
Alföldi Újság, Vásárhelyi Független Újság, Délvidéki Hírlap, Viharsarok, Csongrád
Megyei Hírlap, newspapers of the revolution 1956), which are available not only at the
Archives of Hódmezıvásárhely, but also in the local library.
The memorials of the people’s court acting between 1945 and 1949 can be researched
in Szeged. There are many Vásárhely-related cases among the documents. The trials’
reports are excellent documents of the period; however, they could be formed with
manipulative purpose: some witnesses supported the unreal conception made by the
accusation with their statements. Some documents of proceedings related to
Hódmezıvásárhely can be found in the Archives of Budapest, too.
The documents of the organisations, established with state security purpose (PRO,
ÁVO, ÁVH) are stored in the Historical Archives of State Security.
Hódmezıvásárhely was the centre of Csongrád County between 1950 and 1962. The
files of the county council and its executive committee, and the whole material of its
organisations are stored at the Archives of Csongrád County.
Regarding to the period – a new kind of source can be the audio and television
recordings of the sessions of the different organisations (party or others). These
recordings – approaching to the transition – are more and more valuable. According to
them many information can be obtained about the attitude of the leaders to the changing
circumstances and the strengthening oppositionist movements.
To do any researches is possible by keeping the rules of law in force (Law no. LXVI of
1995 about the archives; and law no. CXII of 2011 about the rights of self-determination,
and the freedom of information).
And finally, here are some examples of the leaders of the local Smallholders’ party.
The general staff of the Vásárhely Smallholders’ Party (István Fejes – the president,
Sándor Karácsonyi – director of the party, Sándor Oláh – party secretary, Tamás
Keresztes – Member of Parliament, Flórián Kruzslicz – vice president and others) were
successful to pick up the gauntlet against the local communists lead by Mihály Oláh. It is
a well-known fact that in June 1947 Ferenc Nagy – the prime minister was forced by
Rákosi to resign and to emigrate, and new leaders serving the communists got the power
with the leadership of István Dobi. Before and after the elections of 1947 the former
supporters of Ferenc Nagy were excluded from the party, which lead to the meltdown of
the party throughout the country. However, in Hódmezıvásárhely, even the election held
on the 31 st of August 1947 was won by the Smallholders, though the one third of their
former supporters voted for the Hungarian Party of Independence, locally lead by the
formerly excluded from the Smallholders’ Party – Tamás Keresztes.
The communists demanded it in vain, that all the leaders of the Smallholders’ Party
resigned from the autumn of 1946, that occurred only in 1948, following István Fejes,
Sándor Karácsonyi and the others were seized according to false accusation. In 1949 the
former leaders of the Smallholders’ Party were put on kulak-lists, and some of them were
judged to 1-2 year-long imprisonment due to the omission of the obligatory delivery
quotas or the ‘violation of the state law of the Republic’ – all according to the
communists’ influence.