Documents Relating to the MSZMP Budapest Reform Circle and the Reform Circle Movement

Fonds

The documents were used as the basis of a monograph by Zoltán Novák. The documents presented here were preserved by former members of the Budapest Reform Circle such as Judit Benkő, György Kerekes, György Szántó, János Vajda, Imre Szenes, Júlia Sík, Dr. Iván Somos, Ferenc Mózes, László Rekvényi, János Wilk, Eda Pál and Zoltán Novák. The documents that they saved were handed over to Zoltán Novak, who further expanded the collection and wrote his work on the basis of it. The former members of the Organizing Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party instructed Zoltán Novák to pass the above-mentioned documents on to the Open Society Archives and to take the necessary steps for their donation in the name and with the authority of the Organizing Committee of the Budapest Reform Circle.

The Budapest Reform Circle was established by young intellectuals - members and party officials from the KISZ (Communist Youth Association) – at the beginning of 1989, originally with a reform-communist orientation. During the spring, after accepting its platform, the Circle grew more radical as well as becoming an opposition faction against the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party’s Reform Communist Center, which was headed by Grosz. One of the main objectives of the Circle was to create a pro-reform wing within the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party and, with its help, to become the majority within the Party. They rejected proposals for a 5-6 year transition period which would have ensured the Party's hold on power. Instead, they wanted free elections and a multiparty, parliamentary democracy. In order to ensure a peaceful transition they urged for negotiations with the opposition. They also wanted fair meetings where they would agree on a temporary constitution that would later be replaced by a Constitution accepted by a Constituent National Assembly. During the summer of 1989 the Platform did not adhere to the principle of democratic socialism. Instead they believed in seeking a solution to the crisis in the country with the option of social market capitalism based on private property and parliamentary democracy. In the new situation that emerged right after the Congress of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party in October, the objectives previously defined by the Reform Circle became part of the new political process, and as a result the Reform Circle lost their original importance and stopped working. The Budapest Reform Circle was one of the most significant communities of the reform movement. This collection of papers documents the most important strand of the activities of the Budapest Reform Circle. These are the following papers: 1. Confrontation of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party’s leadership headed by Grosz. 2. A discussion between the various platforms within the party. 3. Arguments between the four members of the leadership of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party - both confrontation and cooperation with the Government. 4. Discussions within the Budapest Reform Circle as well as discussions with the various trends from within the reform movement, in addition to relations with opposition parties and organizations.

No materials were destroyed, accruals are accepted.

Not Expected

Not Restricted

Good physical condition

Novák Zoltán Az MSZMP Budapesti Reformköre Politika, államigazgatás/Magyar belpolitika (rendszerváltás, MSZMP, Magyar Szocialista Párt), Budapest, 2002 http://mek.oszk.hu/01900/01961/

Most of the records are copies, only few are originals. When the documents received by OSA were processed the Fond, which was originally named “Budapest Reform Circle", included about 273 article titles and 319 document titles. During processing the number of documents was already rising and new materials are expected to further expand the existing collection at OSA.

Processed by Béla Révész, February 15, 2006 and Éva Deák, December 20, 2008.