Ferenc Erdei (24 December 1910 – 11 May 1971) was a Hungarian politician and sociologist, who served as Interior Minister in the unofficial interim government led by

Béla Miklós Béla Miklós de Dálnok, Vitéz of Dálnok (11 June 1890 – 21 November 1948) was a Hungarian military officer and politician who served as acting Prime Minister of Hungary, at first in opposition, and then officially, from 1944 to 1945. He ...

. After the

Soviet occupation of Hungary The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

this cabinet took office officially, in March 1945.

Communist period

Under communist rule, Erdei served as minister of agriculture in 1949–53. As such he was responsible for the "attic sweepings" and other coercive happenings and atrocities in the villages. In July 1953 he was appointed minister of justice.Hungarian Biographical Dictionary (in Hungarian
Retrieved 4 July 2017.
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1956 Revolution

Erdei became a

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

during the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

, and as such was one of the leaders of the Hungarian delegation who negotiated abortively with the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

s. On 3 November he was arrested together with Minister of Defence

Pál Maléter Pál Maléter (4 September 1917 – 16 June 1958) was the military leader of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Maléter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in Sáros County, in the northern part of Historical Hungary, today Prešov ...

, but after some weeks Erdei was released after an intervention by

János Kádár János József Kádár (; ; 26 May 1912 – 6 July 1989), born János József Czermanik, was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, a position he held for 32 years. Declining health l ...

Later posts

In 1957 he became secretary-general of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He received a

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 (on occasion of the centenary of the March 15th revolution, the ...

twice, in 1948 and 1962. He was also secretary-general of the National Council of the Patriotic People's Front between 1964 and 1970.

References

1910 births 1971 deaths People from Makó People from the Kingdom of Hungary National Peasant Party (Hungary) politicians Members of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party Hungarian Interior Ministers Justice ministers of Hungary Agriculture ministers of Hungary Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1945–1947) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1947–1949) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1949–1953) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1953–1958) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1958–1963) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1963–1967) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1967–1971) Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences People of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 {{Hungary-politician-stub