ABSTRACT
Between 1918 and 1920 Hungary experienced three revolutions, the first two of which were based in Budapest and the third of which was nation-wide.
Revolution 1: Károlyi and the democratic revolution
As early as June 1918 workers’ councils had been formed in Budapest but it was not until the central powers’ military failures of September and October that Habsburg authority was destroyed. By the end of October the historic kingdom of Hungary was gradually falling to foreign occupiers or indigenous malcontents whilst the armed forces disintegrated under the impact of defeat, mutiny, and the widespread formation of ‘councils’ or ‘soviets’ in the ranks. Terrified of foreign occupation and social revolution, the right, the centre, and the moderate left grouped around a national council under count Mihály Károlyi who was accepted as minister president by King-Emperor Karl on 31 October. The cabinet was made up of members of Károlyi’s own Independence Party, the social democrats, the radicals under Oszkár Jászi, and members of a number of interest groups, including one feminist.
