Laszlo Rajk

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Rajk, Laszlo (b. 9 Mar. 1909, d. 15 Oct. 1949). Hungarian Communist leader Born of a Jewish family and educated in Budapest, he became a Communist while a student. He joined the International Brigades to fight in the Spanish Civil War, but became a prisoner-of-war and returned to Budapest only in 1941. He then became active as the Secretary of the illegal Communist Party until he was captured by the Germans in 1944. Released from a German concentration camp only in May 1945, he soon became Minister of the Interior, in which capacity he organized a terror campaign to facilitate the Communist takeover of the state in 1948. Shortly afterwards, he became one of the first victims of Stalin's purges, despite his previous unstinting loyalty to the despot. He was moved to the Foreign Ministry and replaced by Kádár, and on 19 May 1949 the show trials had been prepared sufficiently for him to be arrested. He was persuaded to admit to false charges, ostensibly for the good of Communism. He was duly sentenced to capital punishment, and executed. The lavish funeral after his posthumous rehabilitation on 6 October 1956 was attended by over 200,000 people, and marked one of the triggers of the Hungarian Revolution.

Slánski Trial

Laszlo Rajk , 1909–49, Hungarian Communist leader. After fighting in the Spanish civil war of 1936–39 he was interned (1939) in a French camp for Spanish Loyalists. Rajk returned to Hungary in 1941 and became first secretary of the illegal Communist party. He participated in the Hungarian underground movement during the German occupation in World War II and was imprisoned for a time by the Gestapo. After the war he was made minister of the interior and in 1948 became foreign minister. In 1949, Rajk was accused of conspiring with Tito and others to overthrow the Hungarian government. He was tried, confessed, and was executed. In Mar., 1956, the Hungarian government declared his trial to have been in error.

Bibliography: See B. S. Szász, Volunteers for the Gallows (tr. 1971).