Origins & Early Life

Béla Kun (Hungarian: Kun Béla, born Béla Kohn; 20 February 1886 – 29 August 1938) was a Hungarian communist revolutionary and politician who in 1919 governed the Hungarian Soviet Republic. After attending Franz Joseph University at Kolozsvár (today Cluj-Napoca, Romania), Kun had worked as a journalist until World War I. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army, was captured by the Imperial Russian Army in 1916, and was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in the Ural Mountains. In Russia, Kun embraced communist ideas, and in 1918 in Moscow he co-founded a Hungarian arm of the Russian Communist Party.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He befriended Vladimir Lenin and fought for the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. In November 1918 Kun returned to Hungary with Soviet support and set up the Party of Communists in Hungary. Adopting Lenin's tactics, he agitated against the government of Mihály Károlyi and achieved great popularity despite being imprisoned. After his release in March 1919, Kun led a successful coup d'état, formed a Communist-Social Democratic coalition government, and proclaimed a Hungarian Soviet Republic. Though the Republic's de jure leader was Prime Minister Sándor Garbai, de facto power was held by Foreign...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alfonso XIII — Contemporary (Born in 1886) (1886): King of Spain (1886-1931), whose reign spanned constitutional crises and republican upheaval.
• Apsley Cherry-Garrard — Contemporary (Born in 1886) (1886): English polar explorer renowned for his Antarctic accounts and survival narratives.
• Clarence Birdseye — Contemporary (Born in 1886) (1886): Founder of the modern frozen food industry through rapid-freezing technology.
• Alan Bond — Contemporary (Born in 1938) (1938): Australian businessman known for high-profile dealings, the America's Cup, and founding Bond University.
• Albert Fert — Contemporary (Born in 1938) (1938): Pioneering physicist known for the discovery of giant magnetoresistance.
• Anthony Leggett — Contemporary (Born in 1938) (1938): Pioneering theoretical physicist known for work on superfluidity and low-temperature quantum systems.
• Adalbert Gyrowetz — Shared historical date (02-20 · Born) (1763): Czech-Austrian composer known for symphonies and string quartets.
• Ansel Adams — Shared historical date (02-20 · Born) (1902): Iconic photographer and environmentalist celebrated for the American West's landscapes.
• Alfred Peet — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (2007): Dutch-American founder credited with starting the US specialty coffee revolution.
• Éamon de Valera — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (1975): Dominant Irish statesman, leading figure in the establishment of modern Irish governance.
• 1886 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1886
• February 20 (02-20) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 20
• 1938 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1938
• August 29 (08-29) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on August 29