József Révai

Who was József Révai?

József Révai Hungarian communist politician.

He was born to a Jewish family, he was one of the founders of the Communist Party of Hungary in 1918. He lived in the Soviet Union between 1934 and 1944. From 11 May to 27 September 1945 Révai was a member of the High National Council. Between 1945 and 1950 he was chief editor of Szabad Nép.

He controlled all aspects of Hungary's cultural life from 1948 until 1953; from 1949 he was also the Minister of Culture. After 1953 his influence decreased.

Between 1945–1956 he was a member of the Central Committee of his party, which was renamed in 1948 to Hungarian Working People's Party after merging with another party. He was the member of the Political Committee. After the Workers' Party was dissolved and the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party took over its role as the ruling Communist party, Révai became a member of the new party's Central Committee in 1957. He was vice-president to the Presidential Committee between 1953–1958.