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Garbai SandorHungarian socialist politician.
Date of Birth: 27.03.1879
Country:  Hungary |
Content:
- Sándor Garbai: Hungarian Socialist and Prime Minister
- Rise in the Labor Movement
- Prime Minister of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
- Later Years and Exile
- Resistance and Return to Exile
Sándor Garbai: Hungarian Socialist and Prime Minister
Early Life and CareerBorn into a Calvinist family, Sándor Garbai became a bricklayer and joined the labor movement at a young age. At 18, he moved to Budapest, where he gained prominence as an orator at social-democratic rallies.
Rise in the Labor Movement
Garbai became a member of the Hungarian Social Democratic Party (1901-1919), head of the Hungarian Construction Workers' Union (1903), and director of the National Workers' Insurance Fund (1907). He supported the merger of the Social Democrats and Communists into the Socialist Party, which gained power in Hungary.
Prime Minister of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
On March 21, 1919, Garbai was appointed Prime Minister of Hungary in an alliance with the Communists, who declared the establishment of the Hungarian Soviet Republic (HSR). While he formally remained the head of government until nearly its end, the dominant figure was Foreign Minister Béla Kun. On August 1, Garbai was replaced by the "apolitical" trade union cabinet of D. Peidl.
Later Years and Exile
After the collapse of the HSR, Garbai escaped to Czechoslovakia and settled in Vienna. He became a leader of the centrist faction in the Hungarian left-wing exile. Despite financial struggles, he opened a restaurant in Vienna and welcomed former communist and left-wing leaders.
Resistance and Return to Exile
Garbai moved to Bratislava in 1934 and to Paris in 1938. During the German occupation of France, he did not participate in the Resistance. After the liberation of Hungary from Nazi rule, Garbai planned to return home but was obstructed by Communists and former party comrades.
