Imre Nagy is a compelling figure both in life and in death_one whose actions stimulated consequences in Hungary that continue into the present. Providing a summary review of Hungarian Cold War history, Benziger examines the ways in which the memory of the martyred prime minister and the story of the 1956 Revolution influenced political socialization in Hungary. The book begins with Nagy's 1989 funeral and the role memorialization played in the politics of transition, continuing with a review of the important personages and events that informed Nagy's life and afterlife, and it concludes in the tumultuous politics following the establishment of the Republic in 1989. Readers interested in Central and Eastern Europe will find this book useful as it expands the literature on history and memory, and transition politics in the region.
Karl P. Benziger is an associate professor in the Department of History at Rhode Island College.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Funeral of Imre Nagy: The Meaning of 1956 in 1989 Chapter 3 An Unlikely Hero Chapter 4 Imre Nagy and the Revolution of 1956: A Fatal Gamble Chapter 5 Reaction, Compromise, Tentative Legitimacy Chapter 6 The Demand for Memorial Chapter 7 The Imre Nagy Bill and the Politics of Memory Chapter 8 Imre Nagy, Textbooks, and the Next Generation Chapter 9 Epilogue: Restless Heroes and the Continued Debate over History and Memory
