Sándor Garbai

Sándor Garbai (27 March 1879 – 7 November 1947) was a Hungarian socialist politician who served as the prime minister of the Hungarian Soviet Republic.

Sándor Garbai
Sándor Garbai in 1919
Chairman of the Hungarian Central Executive Council
In office 21 March 1919 – 1 August 1919
Preceded by	Mihály Károlyi
Succeeded by	Gyula Peidl
22nd Prime Minister of Hungary
In office 21 March 1919 – 1 August 1919
Preceded by	Dénes Berinkey
Succeeded by	Gyula Peidl
Personal details
Born	27 March 1879 Kiskunhalas, Austria-Hungary
Died	7 November 1947 (aged 68) Paris, France
Nationality	Hungarian
Political party	Hungarian Social Democratic Party Hungarian Socialist Party Hungarian Socialist and Communist Party
Spouse(s)	Zsófia Pötördi
Profession	politician

Political career

Bust of Garbai

He was active in the leadership of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary.[1] During the First Hungarian Republic he headed the All National Housing Council. He was in favour of the merger of the HSDP with the Hungarian Communist Party which occurred on 21 March 1919.[1] This led to the foundation of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, with Garbai as both head of state and prime minister. Although Garbai remained titular leader of the Soviet Republic for the better part of its existence, he held little power or influence. The de facto leader of the state was Communist foreign minister Béla Kun.

Mátyás Rákosi later joked that the revolution's Jewish leaders took the gentile Garbai in so that they would have somebody to sign the death sentences on Shabbat.[2]

References

1. Roszkowski, Wojciech; Kofman, Jan (2016). Biographical Dictionary of Central and Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. Routledge. p. 277. ISBN 9781317475941.
2. Jerry Z. Muller, Capitalism and the Jews, Princeton University Press, 2010, page 153