Content provided in partnership with
Antisemitism in Post World War II Hungary - violence, riots; Communist Party policy
Judaism, Spring, 2001 by Peter Kenez
Beyond the usual sources of antisemitism there were several new and specific ones in the post war period that the Party had to deal with. One of these was the issue of property taken from Jews in the previous years and the understandable desire of the Jews to reclaim what had been theirs. For many Christians it was an insult that someone wanted to take away what they had come to regard as their own. A sad joke thatJews were telling to another at the time was revealing: a Jew was talking to a Christian friend: "How are you? Asked the friend. The Jew replied: Don't even ask. I have returned from the camp, and I have nothing now, except the clothes you are wearing." [13] It was explicit Communist policy not to support Jewish efforts to take back what was legally theirs. In case of Jewish apartments and houses that Christians took over, the police were instructed not to allow the removal of the Christian tenants.
- Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »
The post-war economic situation was catastrophic: cities were in ruins, Soviet demands for reparations were exorbitant, and the soldiers of the Red Army had carried away much that was moveable. In 1946 the country suffered an inflation that was greater than the great German inflation of 1923. Money became worthless. Almost everything was in short supply. Under the circumstances black markets flourished. The Communists, given their hostility to free markets, naturally blamed problems on speculators. On this volatile issue their demagogy, based on their visceral dislike of private enterprise, easily slipped into antisemitism, at times with tragic consequences.
For the series of pogroms that took place in 1946 the responsibility of the Communist Party was undeniable. The Party for demagogic reasons decided to use the dreadful economic situation and misery, which followed to "sharpen the class struggle." In reality that meant that it made small traders scapegoats for genuine problems.
In this struggle the communists explicitly approved, indeed, advocated mass movements, spontaneous demonstrations, and even lynchings. The Party had organized a struggle against "speculators" by promising to hang black marketeers. The leaders knew or certainly should have known that many of these traders were Jewish, and even if they were not, in the eyes of the common folk they were. It published posters in which the "enemy," be he capitalist or speculator, often had Semitic features. The Communists did not create antisemitism, but consciously or unconsciously they contributed to it. In effect the party attempted to turn the powerful antisemitic currents which had been present, to its own advantage in its struggle for power, and in the process sacrificed the interests and in a handful of cases the lives ofJewish citizens.
The disturbances in Ozd, a mining town, in February 1946, showed the complexity of the situation and the dilemmas faced by the Communist leadership. A communist leader, a well-known antisemite, was murdered under mysterious circumstances. The following day a large crown of miners and workers came to demonstrate. The Communist party elcomed the demonstration for it at first regarded it as a move against "reactionaries" and "fascists." However the mood quickly turned into something different: the masses demonstrated against communists and Jews and lootedJewish owned stores and apartments. When the police arrested some of the looters, the masses were increasingly incensed and maintained that there could be no solution to the social and political problems until theJews were gotten rid of. Revai, the man responsible for ideology, reported to the Central Committee: "The demonstration, which was undoubtedly justified and correct as a move against a fascist assassination, soon turned into looting, provoked by fascists." [14]
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: Home & Garden
Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »