HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Miklós Németh (, born 24 January 1948) is a retired Hungarian
economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
and politician who served as
Prime Minister of Hungary The prime minister of Hungary ( hu, Magyarország miniszterelnöke) is the head of government of Hungary. The prime minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political party ...
from 24 November 1988 to 23 May 1990. He was one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party, Hungary's
Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
, in the tumultuous years that led to the collapse of communism in
Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...
and
Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
. He was the last Communist Prime Minister of Hungary.


Early life

Németh was born into a poor Catholic peasant family on 24 January 1948 in
Monok Monok is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Hungary and is part of the Tokaj wine region. Geography The nearest town is Szerencs away. Neighbouring villages are Golop away, Legyesbénye away and Tállya away. The Zemplén Mountains hav ...
, the birthplace of the revolutionary
Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (, hu, udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos, sk, Ľudovít Košút, anglicised as Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, poli ...
. He was of Swabian origin on his maternal side, the Stajzs had been resettled by the aristocrat
Károlyi Károlyi is the name of a Hungarian noble family and a surname, and may refer to: * Károlyi family ** Alexander Károlyi (1668–1743), first count ** Alajos Károlyi (1825–1899), Austro-Hungarian count ** Gyula Károlyi (1871–1947), former ...
family in the 18th century. Németh's grandfather was
deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
from Monok to the
Soviet Union 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 national ...
in Autumn, 1944, and only in 1951 was he able to return home. His father András Németh, a devout Catholic, fought in the Battle of Voronezh and survived the disaster by the
Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...
in early 1943. He returned to Hungary in 1946. That kind of dual identity was present in Németh's political life, since he had a Christian family background behind his Communist party career. For instance, when he married Erzsébet Szilágyi in 1971, they also had a church wedding after their
civil marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religion, religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Every country maintai ...
. Németh was 8 years old 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 ...
. He had just isolated experiences about those events; his parents listened to
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
,
1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
flags were erected in the main square of the village, and the local party secretary was arrested and freedom fighters forced him to recite
Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
. Németh could not have known the whole truth of the events due to state propaganda and concealment until his studies in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. After finishing elementary school in
Szerencs Szerencs is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It lies away from Miskolc, and away from Budapest. It has about 9,100 inhabitants. History Szerencs grew into a town where the Great Plain and the Zemplén mountains meet. I ...
, in 1962 Németh attended
Berzeviczy Gergely School of Trade and Catering Berzeviczy Gergely School of Trade and Catering, situated in Miskolc, is one of the oldest schools in Hungary. History The school was founded in 1886, the ceremony to mark its opening was on 11 September 1886. First it was a school only for boy ...
in
Miskolc Miskolc ( , , ; Czech language, Czech and sk, Miškovec; german: Mischkolz; yi, script=Latn, Mishkoltz; ro, Mișcolț) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 (1 Jan 2014) Miskolc is the ...
, where theologian and historian Gábor Deák was one of his teachers. He took his final exam in 1966, after that he was admitted to the
Karl Marx University of Economics Corvinus University of Budapest ( hu, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem) is a university in Budapest, Hungary. The university currently has an enrolment of approximately 9,600 students, with a primary focus on business administration, economics, and so ...
. Uniquely in the academic system of the communist era, the university had a certain degree of autonomy due to the powerful and influential rector Kálmán Szabó, who had participated in the preparation and production of a major economic reform, called the
New Economic Mechanism The New Economic Mechanism (NEM) ( hu, Új gazdasági mechanizmus) was a major economic reform launched in the People's Republic of Hungary in 1968. Between 1972 and 1978, it was curtailed by the prevailing winds of Eastern Bloc politics. During th ...
in 1968, which introduced some market and capitalist elements to the Hungarian economic system. Under this reformist leadership, a new economist intelligentsia emerged, instead of
Orthodox Marxist Orthodox Marxism is the body of Marxist thought that emerged after the death of Karl Marx (1818–1883) and which became the official philosophy of the majority of the socialist movement as represented in the Second International until the Firs ...
experts, which were already acquainted with the Western mainstream curriculum and they had the opportunity to study abroad. Németh graduated in 1971, after that he became an assistant lecturer, later a full-time university professor. Németh won a scholarship of
International Research & Exchanges Board The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) is an international, nonprofit organization that specializes in global education and development. IREX works with partners in more than 100 countries. History IREX was established in 1968 by ...
to the United States for the 1975/76 semesters, where he subsequently attended
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. He learned
decision theory Decision theory (or the theory of choice; not to be confused with choice theory) is a branch of applied probability theory concerned with the theory of making decisions based on assigning probabilities to various factors and assigning numerical ...
,
cost–benefit analysis Cost–benefit analysis (CBA), sometimes also called benefit–cost analysis, is a systematic approach to estimating the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives. It is used to determine options which provide the best approach to achieving benefits ...
and business law. Németh later was accused by hard-line communist leaders who said that the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA) had recruited him during his Harvard year, however he called these charges "nonsensical".


Early career

Returning home, Németh left the University of Economics and worked for the National Planning Office (OT) from 1977. He also joined the
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party ( hu, Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt, MSZMP) was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of the Hungarian People's Republic between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working Peop ...
(MSZMP) during this time. He was a theoretical researcher until 1978, when he was transferred to the office's Economics Department. There his role was preparation of shortened plan documents on industrial, agrarian, social etc. surveys, drafts which were dispatched to the
Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
. According to Németh, he then became familiar with the economic reality and the true extent of the huge
public debt A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit oc ...
. The Communist regime and the
Hungarian National Bank The Hungarian National Bank ( hu, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB)) is the central bank of Hungary and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). The Hungarian National Bank was established in 1924 and succeeded the Royal Hungarian St ...
led a double bookkeeping, even the majority of the party's Political Committee had no information on the real data. Németh began working for the Socialist Workers' Party Economic Department in 1981. He and
Ferenc Bartha Ferenc Bartha (6 August 1943 – 7 May 2012) Elhunyt Bartha Ferenc
was ...
negotiated with Alan Whittome and
Jacques de Larosière Jacques de Larosière de Champfeu (born 12 November 1929) is a French former civil servant who served as the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 1993 to 1998. He previously served as the governor of the Banque de ...
, representatives of the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
(IMF) in 1982, but Németh also took part in a conference to resort to loans from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, bypassing the Soviets. Németh was appointed Head of Economic Department in 1986, when
Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
became leader of the Soviet Union. Németh, who knew the new Secretary-General earlier, anticipated that a new period would go with social, political, and economic reforms. Németh was promoted to the
Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...
as Secretary in charge of Economic Policy in June 1987. In May 1988, he was elevated to the
Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...
. During that time, long-time Secretary-General
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 le ...
was replaced by Prime Minister
Károly Grósz Károly Grósz (1 August 1930 – 7 January 1996) was a Hungary, Hungarian communism, communist politician, who served as the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party from 1988 to 1989. Early career Grósz was born in Misko ...
, who tried to establish a "technocratic" government and commissioned Németh to negotiate with
Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
aimed at getting a one billion
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...
loan.


Prime Minister of Hungary

In the summer of 1988, Secretary-General Grósz announced his intention to resign from his position as Prime Minister to focus entirely on the organization of the party. Unlike the previous practice, he nominated four candidates, Rezső Nyers,
Imre Pozsgay Imre András Pozsgay (''Pozsgay Imre'', ; 26 November 1933 – 25 March 2016) was a Hungarian Communist politician who played a key role in Hungary's transition to democracy after 1988. He served as Minister of Culture (1976–1980), Minister ...
, Ilona Tatai and Pál Iványi to the post to discuss with local party committees, trade unions and the Patriotic People’s Front. As Grósz was aware of the disastrous economic situation and impending insolvency, Németh was also nominated for the position because he had established a reputation of being an economic expert. Finally the elderly Nyers withdrew himself from candidature in favor of Németh. He took the oath on 24 November 1988, at the time he was the world's youngest head of government until the election of
Pakistani Prime Minister The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pakist ...
Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...
in December 1988. Németh became Prime Minister from a relatively low position as he had never held any ministerial or state secretary posts in the previous governments. He also "inherited" some influential ministers from the Grósz Cabinet (i.e. Frigyes Berecz and
István Horváth István Horváth (1 September 1935, Paks) is a former Hungarian communist politician, who served as Interior Minister twice: between 1980–1985 and between 1987 and 1990. Horvath studied law at ELTE. He joined the MSZMP in 1956. He was the f ...
), which led to the presumption within the party that Németh was Grósz's sidekick in those months. As there had not yet been created a budget for the next year, the system was not sustainable without budget cuts, according to Németh, Grósz's goal was to make his Prime Minister a
scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designate ...
, protecting his power and the communist ideology. Conflicts between hard-line and reformist wings widened when Grósz gave a speech in the
Budapest Sportcsarnok Budapest Sportcsarnok was an indoor arena in Budapest, Hungary. The arena had a seating capacity for 12,500 spectators and opened in 1982. It was primarily used for basketball, figure skating, volleyball and other indoor sporting events until it b ...
in which he made mention of the sharpening of the
class struggle Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms ...
and hinted at the possibility of the looming threat of the White terror's return to Hungary. Németh gradually decoupled himself from the party leadership. Grósz, who had no idea that his successor would be self-propelled, even bugged Németh's telephone and the latter's staff later found
covert listening device A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, or wiretapping is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and ...
s in the Prime Minister's residence. Over the coming months the hard-line wing got permanently weakened; the Political Committee and the Patriotic People's Front renounced their right to nominate candidates for ministerial positions; and by 10 May 1989, Németh managed to completely revamp the composition of his cabinet. He transformed the cabinet into a "government of experts" whose members were destined to make the transition from one-party dictatorship to democracy. Reformists
Gyula Horn Gyula János Horn (5 July 1932 – 19 June 2013) was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1994 to 1998. Horn is remembered as the last Communist Minister of Foreign Affairs who played a major role in the demolishi ...
,
László Békesi László Békesi (born 31 May 1942) is a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Finance twice: between 1989-1990 and from 1994 to 1995. Biography Early life He was an athlete when he was ten years old, he was member of the national yo ...
,
Csaba Hütter Csaba Hütter (born 10 May 1943) is a Hungary, Hungarian agrarian engineer and former Communist politician, who served as Minister of Agriculture of Hungary, Minister of Agriculture and Food between 1989 and 1990. References

* Bölöny, Jó ...
,
Ferenc Glatz Ferenc Glatz (born 2 April 1941) is a Hungarian historian and academician. He has served three terms as the president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Biography Ferenc Glatz was born in Csepel on 2 April 1941. He attended school in Csepel ...
and Ferenc Horváth became members of the cabinet then. After that the Németh government was placed under the authority of the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
instead of the Socialist Workers' Party.


Transition to democracy

After being promoted to Prime Minister in November 1988, Németh made the controversial decision to let the East Germans, long held restricted on the right to travel, pass through Hungary to make their way into
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. This decision is widely regarded as a contributing factor to the fall of the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
on 9 November, 1989. He became Hungary's first post-Communist Prime Minister after the
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party ( hu, Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt, MSZMP) was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of the Hungarian People's Republic between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working Peop ...
was transformed into the
Hungarian Socialist Party The Hungarian Socialist Party ( hu, Magyar Szocialista Párt), commonly known by its acronym MSZP, is a centre-left social-democratic and pro-European political party in Hungary. It was founded on 7 October, 1989 as a post-communist evolution a ...
, on 7 October, 1989, a left of centre social democratic party - of which Németh was a founding member. Following the passing of constitutional amendments by parliament on 23 October 1989 that removed the Constitution's communist character, Németh became the first (provisional) Prime Minister of the Third Hungarian Republic, and the new leader of Hungary as such.


After premiership

He left office on 23 May 1990, after suffering defeat by
József Antall József Tihamér Antall Jr. ( hu, ifjabb Antall József Tihamér, ; 8 April 1932 – 12 December 1993) was a Hungarian teacher, librarian, historian, and statesman who served as the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, holdin ...
in Hungary's first free elections following the fall of Communism. He was an independent MP for
Szerencs Szerencs is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It lies away from Miskolc, and away from Budapest. It has about 9,100 inhabitants. History Szerencs grew into a town where the Great Plain and the Zemplén mountains meet. I ...
until April 1991. Németh subsequently served as Vice President of the London-based
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially focus ...
, the financial institution established by the international community to assist the countries of eastern and central Europe and the former
Soviet Union 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 national ...
in their transition to democratic market economies. In 2000, he left the EBRD to return to Hungary. He attempted to become the PM-designate of the opposition
socialist party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
, but was unsuccessful, as
Péter Medgyessy Péter Medgyessy (; born 19 October 1942) is a retired Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 27 May 2002 to 29 September 2004. On 25 August 2004, he resigned over disputes with coalition partner Alliance of Free Democr ...
was appointed to that role. Medgyessy later became
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. In 1993, Németh also received an Honorary Doctorate from
Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
. In 2007, Németh was commissioned by the
UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-ge ...
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...
to investigate the illegal use of bounty by the
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
(UNDP) to
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. Prior to this, the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
had informed Administrator
Kemal Derviş Kemal Derviş (; born 10 January 1949) is a Turkish economist and politician, and former head of the United Nations Development Programme. He was honored by the government of Japan for having "contributed to mainstreaming Japan's development ass ...
that the North Korean regime counterfeited and reprinted sent banknotes, which was part of their food aid. Németh led the three-member inquiry committee which determined the existence of this unauthorized use of funds, and distribution branches in
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
and
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
. In June 2008, the 380-page report was published. For his role in the unification of Germany and Europe, in June 2014 Németh received the Point Alpha Prize. Németh also participated in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, alongside
Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
,
Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democratica ...
and German politicians. In an interview, Németh said that the demolition of the Berlin Wall happened all of a sudden, but momentum had been building for months that led up to the event, as in March 1989 Gorbachev had promised that the Soviets would not act violently after the opening of the Hungarian border with Austria.


References


Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nemeth, Miklos 1948 births Living people People from Monok Hungarian economists Prime Ministers of Hungary Members of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party Hungarian Socialist Party politicians Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1985–1990) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1990–1994) Harvard University alumni