Hungary ended the First World War on the losing side, and from the fall
of 1918, revolutions, a rapid transformation of state power, and radical social changes
took place in the country. After the fall of the communist regime, the first years
of the old-new Christian-national government, which
defined itself as counter-revolutionary, were spent laying the foundations of
the domestic political order. Prime Minister István Bethlen referred to this
first period as one whose most important tasks included the practical reorganization
of the state administration, the restoration of the spiritual har-
mony of the nation, encompassing the restoration of the former legal order and the
suppression of the revolutionary spirit. Bethlen critically evaluated
the reasons rooted in Hungarian national characteristics and historical circumstances,
which significantly contributed to the downfall of the Kingdom
of Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. He criticized the flawed
state governance models of the past and the mindset in which the Hungarian elite,
especially the genteel (upper) middle class, prioritized the existence
and way of life of state civil servants, viewing these as the embodiment of the
nation and the path to personal advancement. The turbulent months of the
Hungarian People’s Republic (October 31, 1918 - March 21, 1919) and the
Soviet-style Soviet Republic of Hungary (March 21 - August 1, 1919) were
followed by years of renewal, during which the idea of historical retribution
and accountability emerged as a prominent objective. This took shape in various forms
of legal reckoning and accountability, ranging from criminal proceedings to numerous
investigative, vetting and certification proceedings.
