Sándor Gáspár

Sándor Gáspár (1979)

Sándor Gáspár (* 15 April 1917 in Pánd , small area Nagykáta , Pest county , † 15. April 2002 in Budapest ) was a Hungarian trade union functionary , writers and politicians in the Communist Party KMP (Kommunisták Magyarországi partja) , the Hungarian Working People's Party MDP (Magyar Dolgozók Pártja) and finally the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party MSZMP (Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt) , who was, among other things, the long-time General Secretary of the National Council of the Trade Unions SZOT (Szakszervezetek Országos Tanácsa) , Central Committee Secretary and President of the World Trade Union . At the 8th Party Congress on December 24, 1962, he was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the MSZMP and belonged to this top management body of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party until May 22, 1988.

Life

Origin, professional training and union official

Coming from a farming family, Gáspár began vocational training at the age of 13 in 1930 at the car manufacturer Bárdi József and switched to the tractor manufacturer Steyr in 1931 , where he was first a mechanic and later a master craftsman until 1945. In 1935 he became a member of the metalworkers' union and became involved there after joining the social democratic party MSZDP (Magyarországi Szociáldemokrata Párt) in 1936 as a shop steward of the union since 1938. He was then a member of the organizing committee of the metalworkers' union from 1941 to 1944 and joined the illegal Communist Party KMP (Kommunisták Magyarországi Pártja) in 1943 , although he had no contact with the party leadership loyal to Moscow around Aladár Weisshaus .

After the war he was in 1945 after a two-month training course at a party school organizer of the KMP in from Terézváros existing sixth district of Budapest and then sequentially instructor of the Central Committee Department of Organization in Somogy county , in Tolna county , and most recently again in Budapest. In addition, he was a member of the KMP party leadership in Budapest from 1946 to 1950, and on October 1, 1946, he also became a member of the Central Committee of the MKP. In 1947 he became secretary of the metalworking and mechanical engineering workers' union, and in 1948 deputy chairman and in 1950 acting chairman of this union.

In May 1949 Gáspár was first candidate of the MDP for the Members of Parliament (Országgyűlés) elected and was this until his resignation on 29 June 1988. First he was elected to the list of the Patriotic Popular Front HNF (Hazafias Népfront) and then on November 16, 1958 in Pest County and on March 24, 1963 on the list for Budapest. He was later named on March 19, 1967 in the constituency of Pécs No. 5 and on April 25, 1971 in the constituency of Pest No. 18 , before he was last reelected on the list of the Patriotic Popular Front on April 19, 1985 until he resigned from his mandate.

After two and a half years of study at the party college of the CPSU , Gáspár became deputy general secretary on November 24, 1952 and then, from March 1953, general secretary of the National Council of the SZOT (Szakszervezetek Országos Tanácsa) . In 1954 he became Central Committee Secretary for Industry and Transport and held this office until April 30, 1955.

During his membership in parliament he was also a member of the Presidium of Parliament (A Magyar Népköztársaság Elnöki Tanácsa) from 1955 to 1963 , a collective body whose chairman was the President of the People's Republic of Hungary.

General Secretary of SZOT, Party Leader of Budapest and Politburo member

Then he became on April 30, 1955 Chairman of the National Council of Trade Unions and in June 1956 a member of the Politburo of the MDP.

After the popular uprising and the establishment of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, he became a member of the MSZMP Central Committee in November 1956 and was a member of it until May 22, 1988.

Together with Gyula Hegyi and Zoltán Komócsin , he was also President of the National Olympic Committee Magyar Olimpiai Bizottság (MOB) between 1958 and 1962 .

On November 2, 1959, he was appointed First Secretary of the MSZMP party leadership in Budapest. He remained in this position until December 13, 1961. In addition, he became a candidate for the Politburo of the Central Committee on December 5, 1959 at the VII Party Congress.

Gáspár became Central Committee Secretary for Economic Policy in September 1961 and held this position until October 30, 1962, before being first secretary of the MSZMP party leadership in Budapest from October 30, 1962 to June 28, 1965. At the 8th Party Congress on December 24, 1962, he was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the MSZMP and belonged to this top management body of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party until May 22, 1988.

He also became Vice President of the Presidium of Parliament in 1963 and was thus Deputy President until 1988, together with Ödön Kisházi and later Rezső Trautmann .

On June 28, 1965, he succeeded Miklós Somogyi again as general secretary of the SZOT and then from December 9, 1983 until his resignation on June 22, 1988, its president. As such, he became President of the World Trade Union Confederation in April 1978 and held this office until March 24, 1989.

Publications

• asutas élmunkások (1948)
• A szakszervezetek feladatai az ipar technikai színvonalának fejlesztésében, az új technika bevezetésében és tömeges alkalmazásában (1955)
• Az iparfejlesztés feladatai hazánkban (1955)
• A szakszervezetek feladatai az ipari termelés megjavításában és a műszaki színvonal emelésében (1956)
• A párt vezető szerepe, növekedésének és munkastílusának egyes kérdései (1964)
• A szabadság hajnalán (1965)
• A magyar szakszervezetek szerepe a szocializmus építésben (1968)
• Szakszervezetek a szocializmusért (1970)
• A munkáshatalom szolgálatában (1973)
• A szakszervezetek a fejlett szocializmusért (1976)
• A magyar szakszervezeti a fejlett szocializmus szolgálatában (1978)
• A nemzetközi szakszervezeti mozgalom (1980) ISBN 963-09-1711-4
• Gazdaságpolitikánkról (1983) ISBN 963-09-2234-7
• A munkásosztály szolgálatában (1983) ISBN 963-322-025-4

Web links

• Entry in Történelmi Tár (Hungarian)