Father István Balogh (30 March 1894,

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

– 20 July 1976) was a Hungarian Catholic priest and

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

politician who later tolerated the rule of the

Hungarian Communist Party The Hungarian Communist Party ( hu, Magyar Kommunista Párt, abbr. MKP), known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary ( hu, Kommunisták Magyarországi Pártja, abbr. KMP), was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar ...

. Balogh initially joined the Independent Smallholders Party. He was part of the Hungarian provisional government established in 1945 and travelled to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

to sign the 1945

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

. After the war Balogh led the

Independent Hungarian Democratic Party The Independent Hungarian Democratic Party ( hu, Független Magyar Demokrata Párt, FMDP) was a political party in Hungary in the period after World War II. The party was revived after the end of communism in 1989–90, but remained unsuccessful ...

(FMDP), a minor opposition group which was largely controlled by the government. His list captured 5.2% of the vote in the 1947 election although his opposition soon died down and he effectively co-operated with the communists despite his personal reservations. Although seen as a potential focus of dissent Balogh stayed away from any direct involvement in 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 ...

.Felix, Christopher. ''The spy and his masters: A short course in the secret war''. pp. 235-252. Secker & Warburg (1963)

References

1894 births 1976 deaths People from Budapest People from the Kingdom of Hungary Hungarian Roman Catholic priests Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party politicians Independent Hungarian Democratic Party politicians 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) 20th-century Hungarian Roman Catholic priests {{Hungary-politician-stub