Karl P. Benziger Books

Focusing on the impact of Imre Nagy's legacy, this study explores how his martyrdom and the 1956 Revolution shaped political socialization in Hungary. It begins with the significance of Nagy's 1989 funeral in the context of political transition, examines key figures and events that influenced his life and legacy, and culminates in the complex political landscape following the establishment of the Republic in 1989. The work highlights the interplay between memory, politics, and national identity in Hungary's history.

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.