A dombrádi „telepesekről”: Sipos Józsefnek

From 1949 to 1953, Mátyás Rákosi, the Hungarian communist dictator was nearly all-powerful. His Stalinist political leadership in 1951 started a campaign of internment of people who were considered enemies of the state. The internment camps were established in various locations across Hungary, including the village of Dombrád (the birthplace of József Sipos). The internment campaign was part of a larger effort by the Hungarian government to suppress dissent and opposition of its policies. The government targeted people who were suspected or just claimed to be involved in anti-communist activities or who were deemed to be a threat to the state. In 1951, thousands of middle- and upper-middle class citizens in the capital, even who were only considered to be so, were forcibly transferred to settlements in the countryside. Members of the bourgeoisie, the aristocracy or the old political elite were also considered untrustworthy. Many of them were evicted from their homes, their property was confiscated and they were forced into run-down accommodations, even sent to labour camps. Their apartments and houses were occupied by Communist Party cadres, who immediately got their hands on valuable furniture and works of art. Forced labour camps were also built based on the Soviet model. In the camps around the village of Hortobágy – just as in Dombrád –, displaced persons had to work hard in appalling conditions. They were all called as “class enemies” of the communist system. In July 1953, Rákosi, who had presided over the government as well as the Party since 1952, was deposed from his former office in favour of Imre Nagy. The new prime minister promised a new course: more tolerance in political life, especially towards the intelligentsia and the churches, release of political prisoners and closure of the internment camps. Many of these reforms were really introduced and were welcomed by the people. The study aims to briefly describe these years, focusing on the case of the village of Dombrád.