József Antall
József Antall | |
---|---|
Prime Minister of Hungary | |
In office 23 May 1990 – 12 December 1993 | |
President | Árpád Göncz |
Preceded by | Miklós Németh |
Succeeded by | Péter Boross |
Member of the National Assembly | |
In office 2 May 1990 – 12 December 1993 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Budapest, Hungary | 8 April 1932
Died | 12 December 1993 Budapest, Hungary | (aged 61)
Political party | MDF |
Spouse | Klára Fülepp |
Children | 2 |
József Tihamér Antall Jr. (
Early life and education
József Tihamér Antall de Dörgicse et Kisjene was born to an ancient Hungarian family from the lower nobility in
His mother, Irén Szűcs has Jewish roots,
He graduated from the Budapest
Antall and his wife, Klára Fülepp, had two children, György Antall, a lawyer, and Péter Antall, a photojournalist, who later became director of the Antall József Knowledge Centre. Its primary objectives are to foster the Antall tradition and promote the spread of knowledge.
Early career
Following the graduation, Antall worked for the Hungarian State Archives and the Research Institute of Pedagogy. In 1955, he started teaching in József Eötvös Grammar School, leading the Revolutionary Committee of the school during the
Following this, he worked as a librarian for two years. In 1963 he wrote biographies of 80 doctors for the Lexicon of Hungarian Biographies. He became interested in the history of medicine, and conducted fundamental research in the area. He started working in the library and archives department of the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History, dedicated to the history of medicine. Starting as a research fellow, he was promoted to deputy director and in 1974 he became director of the institute. His research was recognised internationally, and in 1986 he was the vice president of the International Society for the History of Medicine.
Prime Minister
Antall was delegated to the National Roundtable Talks by the Hungarian Democratic Forum on 22 March 1989 and worked in the committee on constitutional reform. He became well known for his activities during the negotiations.
On 21 October 1989 he was elected President of the
As prime minister, Antall oversaw the establishment of a legal system to promote a market economy and attract foreign investment. The ruling coalition attempted to stabilize the economy while implementing privatization and other elements of a market economy, while the populist right wing of the MDF was vocal about the "national issue", the question of the Hungarian minorities in neighbouring countries—and attempted to put it at the centre of the government's platform.
However, the return to a capitalist system and all its accompanying reforms resulted in socioeconomic difficulties for the country during Antall's term.[4] Unemployment jumped from nonexistence to 14 percent. Inflation increased at an annual rate of 23–35 percent (excluding indexing of wages and pensions). Older, retired people, more than one-fifth of the population, suffered the most, and the living standards of more than one-third of the populace declined to below subsistence level. In the meantime, income disparities increased, which irritated the people.[5] Corruption became more widespread[citation needed] and visible than before. Together with the previously omnipotent police force, street security also collapsed in 1990. The crime rate, especially in Budapest, increased threefold in five years.
In the summer of 1990, Antall and the MDF supported the introduction of a Catholic religious education into the national curriculum. This led to conflict with the other coalition parties, since only three-quarters of the Hungarian population were Catholics. Antall appointed Miklós Lukáts of the KDNP as his State Secretary for Church Affairs; from this position, Lukáts oversaw religious affairs, including the return of church properties seized by the communists.[6] By 1991 Antall was receiving criticism for his authoritarian style, though this contrasted with his uncharismatic presence. Conflict over their powers erupted between him and Hungary's president, Árpád Göncz, who belonged to the opposing party, the Alliance of Free Democrats.[7]
In the realm of domestic politics, Antall had to face hardships during his career: the taxi-blockade in Budapest in 1990[8] and the withdrawal of the Independent Smallholders' Party from the coalition government forced him to restructure his cabinet in February 1992;[9] that reorganisation ultimately saved his administration from being toppled. Within MDF, Antall was continuously attacked by István Csurka who later on set into motion a stand-alone movement, thus Hungarian Justice and Life Party (MIÉP) came into existence.
Illness and death
Antall became ill and diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the summer of 1990. In October, two days before the outbreak of taxi drivers' blockade, he underwent surgery, the famous interview in pajamas with him was made thereafter in the hospital to respond to the heated political situation resulted by the taxi blockade. Antall's cancer recurred half a year later.[10] A day before his death, Antall was awarded Grand Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit by President Árpád Göncz on 11 December 1993. During the last period of his premiership Antall was substituted by the Interior Minister Péter Boross.[11]
József Antall died on 12 December 1993 before the end of his 4-year term. He led the former
The interruption of DuckTales
The announcement of Antall's death happened on a Sunday afternoon, during which the state television channel Magyar Televízió was airing a DuckTales episode called "A Whale of a Bad Time", as part of The Disney Afternoon; at 18:08,[13] mid-cartoon the screen abruptly went black, after which the station logo was shown, and eventually Frédéric Chopin's Funeral March began playing.[14] The abrupt shift in tone has created a flashbulb memory for the generation of children watching,[15][16][17][13] who as adults were still able to recall specific details of the event, down to the exact dialog where the interruption in the episode has occurred;[14][18] some of the same adults have expressed their distaste in politics as a direct result of the interruption.[14][19]
Legacy
In recognition of his work, one of the buildings of the European Parliament in Brussels was named after Antall in 2008. There is also a bust of him on Apród Street in Budapest.[20]
References
- ^ Jozsef Antall, Who Led Hungary After Communists, Is Dead at 61, The New York Times, 13 December 1993 Retrieved 8 January 2012
- ^ a b Dennis Kavanagh (1998). "Antáll, József". A Dictionary of Political Biography. Oxford University Press. p. 16. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.[ISBN missing]
- ^ "Mai születésnapos: Horn Gyula, egy zsidó munkásfiú és miniszterelnök és még egy meglepetés | Mazsihisz". mazsihisz.hu.
- ^ "Jozsef Antall". MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009.
- ^ Ilona Cseh-Papp; A foglalkoztatás és munkanélküliség a rendszerváltozás után, tankonyvtar.hu, Retrieved 10 July 2015
- ^ Mirak, Katalin (2009). "Még egyszer, hátulról" [Again, from behind]. Evangélikus Élet (in Hungarian). Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ Antall Answers
- ^ Mementó 1990: a taxisblokád története és következményei, Heti Világgazdaság, 25 October 2010 Retrieved 10 July 2015
- ^ Borítékügye miatt lépett ki Torgyán az Antall-kormányból?, Origo.hu, 10 January 2001 Retrieved 10 July 2015
- ^ Jeszenszky, Géza: 75 éve született Antall József Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine – 6 April 2007
- ^ Sereg, András: Boross – Hadapródiskolától a miniszterelnöki székig. 98. p.
- ^ Hungarian Prime Minister Jozsef Antall Dies at 61, The Washington Post, 13 December 1993 Retrieved 8 January 2012
- ^ a b "Harminc éve sokkolt egy teljes gyerekgenerációt a Kacsamesék megszakítása". telex. 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Dorottya, Ócsai (6 April 2009). "Egy generáció politikai eszmélése: vasárnap fél 6 körül megszakadt a Kacsamesék". NOL.hu.
- ^ "Generációs emlékké vált Antall halála". FN.hu. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010.
- ^ "Egy egész generáció vakuemléke lett a Kacsamesék huszonnyolc évvel ezelőtti megszakítása". Minap.hu.
- ^ Dávid, Sajó (12 December 2018). "Ami másoknak a Kennedy-gyilkosság, az nekünk a Kacsamesék megszakítása". index.hu.
- ^ "Pont tizenhét éve szakadt félbe a Kacsamesék". Hírszerző. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010.
- ^ "Végre szembenézhet közel 30 éves traumájával a Kacsamesék-generáció". 10 July 2022.
- ^ The European Parliament honours József Antall by naming new building after him, EPP Group, 15 January 2008 Retrieved 8 January 2012
Other information
- Hungary from Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD
- Monography: A Miniszterelnök (author: Debreczeni József)