The Comparative Examination of the Road to the Differing Current Perceptions of László Rajk and Rudolf Slánský

Abstract

The names of László Rajk and Rudolf Slánský are undoubtedly intertwined with the historical legacy of Hungary’s and Czechoslovakia’s Stalinist political trials, which aimed to unveil the “enemies within the party.” Rajk, as the Minister of Interior, and Slánský, as the general secretary of the KSČ, played a robust role in establishing the socialist system in their countries. Their careers, trials, and fate only slightly differ from each other. However, Rajk’s reburial in 1956 and his son’s active involvement in the opposition movement during the 1980s made his public perception quite complex. These factors generated a sort of sympathetic victimhood around him, disregarding his career within the communist party. This stays in sharp opposition to the perception of Slánský, whose character was never looked at sympathetically. In my study, I examine the road to this complex image of the two politicians based on secondary literature, archival and journalistic sources. Using a comparative historical and cross-national approach to explore the similarities and differences between Rajk’s and Slánský’s life, political career, demise, and the aftermath of their trials, the study not only depicts the distinctions and resemblances between the two men, but also reveals how their current perceptions took shape throughout the years.