Father István Balogh (30 March 1894,

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

– 20 July 1976) was a Hungarian Catholic priest and

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

politician who later tolerated the rule of the

Hungarian Communist Party The Hungarian Communist Party (, , abbr. MKP), known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary (, , abbr. KMP), was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar period and briefly after World War II. It was founded on Novem ...

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

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

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 t ...

. After the war Balogh led the Independent Hungarian Democratic Party (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 – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

.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 Politicians from Budapest 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