Kádár, János

views updated May 23 2018

Kádár, János (1912–89) Hungarian statesman, premier (1956–58, 1961–65) and first secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (1956–88). He fought in the resistance during World War II, and later served as minister of the interior (1948–50). Kádár replaced Imre Nagy as premier after crushing the Hungarian uprising (1956). In 1968 he gave military support to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Kádár's policy of ‘consumer socialism’ revitalised the domestic economy.