Sándor Garbai

Who was Sándor Garbai?

Sándor Garbai was a Hungarian socialist politician. He came to power as both prime minister and de facto president in March 1919 in alliance with the Communists, and proclaimed a Soviet Republic. Although Garbai remained titular head of the Hungarian Soviet Republic for most of its length, practical authority was in the hands of Communist foreign minister Béla Kun.

Mátyás Rákosi later joked that the revolution's Jewish leaders took the gentile Garbai in so that they would have somebody to sign the death sentences on Saturdays.