PPKE Repository of Dissertations (Pázmány Péter Catholic Univ.)

Halmos Szilvia

Hungarian

A fogyatékosság orvosi és társadalmi modelljének szintézise, különösen a munkajogban

Balázs József

Machumetis Saracenorum principis, eiusque succesorum vitae, ac doctina

Marschal Adrienn

Pázmány Péter Catholic University Faculty of Humanities and Social 
Sciences Doctoral School of History Science 
Leader of Doctoral School: dr. Ida Fröhlich Dsc. 
Economic, - Region and Political history workshop, 
Leader of workshop: dr. István Berényi Dsc. 
Consultant: dr. Sándor M. Kiss professor emeritus 
 
 
 
 
Adrienn Marschal 
Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County 
Csolnok, Oroszlány, Tatabánya 
 
Theses 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2016. 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
I. 
Research assignment, topic choosing  
 
I have chosen the history of the Hungarian labor camps between 1952 
and 1956 as the topic of my thesis work, because the Hungarian labor 
camps are not well known after 1953, yet most of the people think these 
camps were closed in 1953. 
I have focused on the history of the three camps existed in Komárom-
Esztergom county: Csolnok, Oroszlány and Tatabánya. This choice was 
reasoned not only by their geographic location, but by their intertwined 
history as well:  all the three camps served mining and they often exchanged 
prisoners whose fate strongly connected in the events of the 1956 
revolution, especially in the actions of the so-called miner brigade.  
Among the four types of camps established in Hungary, books were 
published primarily about the internment camps, Recsk and Tiszalök: firstly 
reminiscences and later scientific works as well. Namely, the history of 
Recsk appears in the reminiscences of Sándor Erdey, Zoltán Sztáray, Zoltán 
Nyeste, György Faludy, and summarized in the works of Géza Böszörményi 
and Barbara Bank. Whereas, the camp in Tiszalök was explored by Miklós 
Görbedi. 
Several books investigated the other two types of the camps, the 
displaced persons camp, and the prisoner-of-war camp, written by Zsuzsa 
Hantó, Kinga Széhenyi, József Saád, Zalán Bognár and others, including 
reminiscences and a book of interviews as well. 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
However, there is only one published book, two short studies and two 
reminiscences about the fourth type of the camps: the labor camp or work 
camp located mainly near to coalmines. 
 
Therefore, I targeted the following research objectives:  
 What kind of antecedents implied the openings of the camps in the 
examined towns? 
 How did the situation of the Hungarian coalmining contribute to 
establishing these camps? 
 Where did these labor camps take place in the system of the 
Hungarian camps and what kind of differences and similarities can 
be shown compared to the other ones? 
 What was the institutional and legal background of the forced labor 
of the prisoners? 
 What time and in what circumstances were the camps established 
in the three examined towns? 
 What was the difference between these camps? 
 How did the number of the prisoners change in these camps? 
 How did the everyday life of the prisoners look like in these 
camps? 
 How can the life of the jailors and the prisoners be contrasted? 
 What time and why were these camps closed? 
 Did the ex-prisoners join to the 1956 revolution? 
 How did the years in prison affect the ex-prisoners free life? 
 What happened to the coalmines and the buildings after the closing 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
of these camps? 
 How do people commemorate the former camps? 
 Creating the complete list of the prisoners and the jailors 
 
 
II. 
Adopted methods, sources 
 
To capture a true picture about the Hungarian camp system after 1953, I 
explored the available sources in several archives and the official records to 
compare them and to contrast with the reports of agents, the press, the 
scientific literature, reminiscences, and the self-made interviews. To better 
understand the events, I visited the place of the former camps and tried to 
localize the mineshafts as well. I also aimed to make the list of the prisoners 
and the jailors. 
 
1. Archival sources and official records 
During my work, I was searching mainly in the National Archives of 
Hungary, in the Komárom-Esztergom County Archives and in the Historical 
Archives of the Hungarian State Security. The most files are about the 
Coalmining Trust in Dorog and Tatabánya, the party organization of the 
camp Command, the documents of the prosecutions and the reports of spies. 
Moreover, I have found sources in the Historical Archive of the City of 
Tatabánya, in the Budapest City Archives, in the Military Historical 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
Archives and Records, in the Records of the National Headquarter of the 
Law Enforcement, in the Records of the Coalmining Museum in Oroszlány, 
in the Records of the Museum in Tatabánya and in the OSA Archives. 
 
2. Scientific literature/bibliography 
I have found the most information about establishing the Hungarian camps 
in the study of György T. Varga, “Adalékok a börtönügy és a 
rabmunkáltatás történetéhez, 1949-1953” and in the dissertation of Barbara 
Bank, „Szögesdrótok mögött” and in her book „Állami titok”. Besides, I 
have found several publications about the history of the camps and the 
belonging towns in 1956. Among these sources, the best were the study of 
Pál Germuska, titled “Komárom megye” and the manuscript of Miklós 
Horváth titled “A Belügyminisztérium Büntetésvégrehajtási Parancsnokság 
és alárendelt szervei tevékenységének vizsgálata (1956.október 23 -
1956.november 4.)”. 
The only book, which was written about my research topic, is the work 
of Gábor Barakka: „Rabtáborok Oroszlányban”. I have also found two 
shorter studies: Tibor Fakász, “A csolnoki rabtábor” and Attila Tóth „A 
pokol tornácán”. 
 
3. The press 
While these camps were operating, the press did not report about them. The 
first article was published about the release of the prisoners. Besides, there 
were written some other short articles about the commemorations made in 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
the time of the Hungarian regime change. Thus, the press gave just a little 
information to the archival and other sources. 
 
4. Reminiscences, oral history  
During my work, I made several interviews with the ex-prisoners to 
supplement the insufficient information about the documents and the 
bibliography. They were Miklós Dobovics, Ervin Ernst, Ervin Felkay, 
Árpád Halász, András Kuster, Iván Tóth and András Zsótér. I made 
interviews also with Ferenc Szeifert, the priest of Csolnok, and with József 
Klinger who worked in Csolnok as a miner. Before I finished my research, 
two ex-prisoners from Csolnok had published his memories: Tibor Petrusz, 
“Rákosi börtönében” and Ervin Ernst, “Rabtábor a meddőhányón. Jó 
szerencse semmi más”.  
 
5. The former spots, souvenirs  
I visited the former spots of the camps and made some photos of them, 
specifically of the shaft IX in Csolnok, of the shafts XVI and XVIII in 
Oroszlány and of the shafts X, XIV and Síkvölgyi in Tatabánya. I also tried 
to make photos about the souvenirs and documents of the ex-prisoners that 
were from the camp. 
 
6. List of the prisoners and jailors  
A special aim of my research was to create the lists of the prisoners and the 
jailors that are placed in the appendix. However, despite of my long lasting 
collecting work, these lists are incomplete. The main reason of that is there 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
were only three lists in the archives. I have found two of them in the 
Komárom-Esztergom County Archives that summarize the application of 
the prisoners for conditional release and the belonging official decisions. 
The third list is from the OSA Archives, which contains a list of 160 
prisoners from Tatabánya. I have collected all the other names one by one 
from the Political Prisoners Community, the ex-prisoners reminiscences, the 
interviews I have made, the available publications and the reports of the 
spies related to the prisoners. 
 
 
III. 
Main points of the essay, new scientific achievements 
 
 In the history of the three settlements, Csolnok, Oroszlány, and 
Tatabánya, the exploration of coal deposits was determinant. This made 
possible the development of the settlements and the surrounded area, 
moreover generated the demand for establishing labor camps in the Rákosi 
regime. 
 The nationalization of the Hungarian mines and the foreseen numbers 
of the first 5-year plan contributed to employ prisoners in the coalmining, 
because only with the civil miners they could not fulfil these plans. 
 There were four types of the camps between 1945 and 1956 in 
Hungary: for prisoners of war, for internee, for relocated people and for 
prisoners. However, there was an essential difference among them: people 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
were delivered to the internment camps and to the farms in the Great 
Hungarian plain with an internment or relocation decision, which was from 
the ÁVH. But, people who got to the prisoners camp, had been given a 
judicial judgment for a determined period because of political reason. 
Besides, there were other differences among the camps: the work, they must 
made, the establisher institution and the operation time of the camps.  
 The Economical Directorship of the Ministry of Justice controlled the 
work of the prisoners until the December of 1951 when the Directorate of 
Public Work was established. Moreover, the Coalmining Trust had an 
important role in Dorog and Tatabánya, where the prisoners worked and the 
Mine and Energy Ministry, whose name changed a lots of time.  
 Regarding the three settlements, the first work camp was established in 
Csolnok, where the prisoners began to work in April 1952. In Oroszlány, 
the employment of the prisoners began some months later in the shaft 
XVIII, but here, prisoners had already been working before in a building. 
Tatabánya was the last one where the buildings of the prisoners were built 
up. They finished them by the November of 1952 at the shaft Síkvölgyi and 
XIV. The camp by the shaft X began operating only after the November of 
1955, but internment had been working since the January of 1952 in 
Tatabánya-Alsó. 
 Every examined camp employed ‘prisoners’ in the coalmines 
however, there were disparities in their distribution regarding the committed 
or not committed crimes and the level of their sentence. In Csolnok and in 
Tatabánya, the number of those people was the highest, who organized, 
agitated or spied. In Oroszlány, the most of the prisoners illegally crossed 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
the border. In accordance with these facts, the people were sentenced for 2-6 
years in Oroszlány, for more than 4 years in Tatabánya, and for more than 
10 years or life sentenced in Csolnok. 
 The number of the people in the camps was the highest in Oroszlány, 
there were always more than 1200 people. There were usually only 600 
people in Csolnok and in Tatabánya. The exemption under this rule was the 
summer of 1956 when the number of the prisoners in Csolnok increased 
over 1000.  
 The life of the prisoners was much better in these labor camps, than in 
other types of camps or in prison. There was an economical reason for the 
better circumstances; furthermore, the greater part of the operation time was 
after Imre Nagy amnesty. Therefore, the prisoners could write letters on a 
restricted way and receive visitors. There was cultural life in the camps, and 
there was even a strike in Csolnok. 
 I have written about the everyday life of the prisoners, about their 
catering, their health, their work in the mine, their accidents, their prison-
breaking trials, and in addition, their relationships with the civil miners, the 
jailors, and their relatives. The specialty of these camps was that the 
sentenced worked with the civil miners here in contrast to other types of 
camps and prisons. The analysis of their release process and their relating 
applications meant another interesting question. 
 The life of the jailors resembled that of the prisoners. Because of the 
housing shortages of the era, the jailors lived also near the shafts on the 
outskirts of the settlements, far away from their families – like the prisoners. 
In addition, their internal conflicts made their everyday work more difficult. 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
The situation was the most conspicuous after the Imre Nagy amnesty in 
Csolnok, because jailors who worked by the ÁVH before did not execute 
the commands given by jailors who had been working by the law-
enforcement. Meanwhile, the latter were waiting for the translocation of 
former ones. However, there was no such problem these days on the other 
two commands according to the known sources. The situation improved 
later also in Csolnok. 
 These labor camps operated until 1956; the prisoners were freed 
during the 1956 revolution. In Csolnok, they had been striking in the mines 
for 96 hours resulting, that they were released with official documents. In 
Oroszlány, the prisoners tried to break out and some of them died in the 
conflict. This hard attempt contributed to their release. In Tatabánya, no 
violent event took place; here, the commander let the prisoners go free, after 
he had got an instruction and had seen the marching mass. 
 After crushing the revolution of 1956, the government punished all 
the people involved including the miners as well. However, at the same 
time, the regime softened the dictatorial character of the control, at least 
closed the work camps. A few surveys were still created about the reopening 
of these camps and employing prisoners in the mining industry, but these 
plans were never realized because of a decision of the party and an order of 
the government. 
 Many of the released prisoners went to Budapest and joined to the 
revolution. Two different group formed from the ex-prisoners of Csolnok 
and Oroszlány with the lead of Istvan Szirmai and László Rusznyák. This 
two groups united and became the so called „miner brigade” that joined to 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
the resistance on the Széna square. Besides, János Futó organized an own 
group as well, and some of the ex-prisoners took part in the fight at the 
headquarters of the party. 
 Some people emigrated after crushing the revolution of 1956, while 
others stayed in Hungary. Some of the latter went back to the prison to serve 
their time as others got pardon. However, the consequences of being ex-
prisoners accompanied them in their everyday life. Spies from their 
colleagues or ex-prisoner friends inspected them; it was harder to find a job 
and almost impossible to build greater career. 
 The mining had an important role in the Kádár-regime too, because of 
its great economic importance, but the mining company gradually closed 
those shafts where the prisoners worked before. This process started in 
Csolnok in 1969. 
 In Oroszlány, the 1960s were the heyday of the mining, but the local 
mining corporation also began to close the shafts from 1971. In Tatabánya, 
a few new shafts were opened, but they also began to close them soon. 
However, the company here did not dismiss the workers, but started new 
activities. 
 People tried to reuse the buildings of the former commandants as a 
hostel for workers. In the end, all these buildings were demolished both in 
Csolnok and in Oroszlány and there is forest in the place of the former 
shafts IX and XVIII nowadays. The shaft Síkvölgyi, in Tatabánya is an 
exception; there is a functioning modern spring factory today. 
 After the political transition, people began to organize 
commemorations at the location of the former camps. First, a memorial 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
tablet was inaugurated to honor the prisoners and the civil miners in 
Csolnok in 1992. After 4 years, the community initiated a relief in 
Oroszlány, which represented a prisoner miner. In Tatabánya, a monument 
got ready in 2004, which stand in the center of the city. In addition, local 
people opened miner exhibitions in every settlement; the first was in 
Tatabánya in 1975. 
 During this research, I tried to collect as much names of the prisoners 
and the jailors as much I can. The result of my work is I have collected the 
name of 203 jailors and 1797 prisoners so far: 569 prisoners from Csolnok, 
961 from Oroszlány and 267 prisoners from Tatabánya. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
IV. 
Publications in the topic of the essay 
 
 Az elítéltek mindennapjai és az 1956-os forradalom eseményei a 
csolnoki munkatáborban. In: Memoriae Commendamus. 
Tanulmányok a XI. Eötvös Konferencia Történeti Üléséről. Szerk.: 
Kapitány Adrienn és Locsmándi Dániel. Budapest, 2011. 231-250.  
 Bányamunkatábor Csolnokon. In: Memento. Az 1945–56 közötti 
Magyar Politikai Elítéltek Közösségének Magazinja. Budapest, 
2011/2. 15-20.  
 Őrök a csolnoki munkatáborban. In: Sorsfordulók és 
mindennapok. Modern Minerva Könyvek 4. Tanulmányok a 19-20. 
századi magyar és egyetemes történelemről. Szerkesztette: Strausz 
Péter- Zachar Péter Krisztián. Heraldika Kiadó, Budapest, 2011. 
279-296.  
 Munkatáborok Magyarországon. Csolnok. Egy bányamunkatábor 
létrehozása és 1956-os megszűnése. In: A vidék forradalma 1956. 
Történelmi Ismeretterjesztő Társulat Egyesület. Budapest, 2012. 
122-131.  
 Azonosságok és különbségek az internálás 20. századi 
intézményrendszerében. In: A diktatúra évtizedei. PPKE -BTK - 
Történelmi Ismeretterjesztő Társulat Egyesület, Piliscsaba, 2013. 
271-279.  
Adrienn Marschal – Labor camps in Komárom-Esztergom County Theses 
 
Other major publications 
 
 Bokodi-Oláh Gergely: Fonyód 1956, Fonyód, 2011. Recenzió. In: 
Orpheus Noster, IV. évf. 2012/2. 92-94. 
 A diktatúra Szabad Szája: politikai vicclapok 1945-1956. In: Utak 
és útkereszteződések. Ünnepi tanulmányok M. Kiss Sándor 
tiszteletére. Történelmi Ismeretterjesztő Társulat Egyesület, 
Budapest, 2013. 513-522. 
 Adalékok az adózás történetéhez. Szerk.:Horváth Attila - Galambos 
István - Marschal Adrienn. Történelmi Ismeretterjesztő Társulat 
Egyesület, TITE Könyvek 4. Budapest, 2014. 


Munkatáborok Komárom-Esztergom megyében

Hernády Zsolt

"Ha legyőznek is bennünket, de bírni soha nem fognak"

Bácsatyai Dániel

A magyar kalandozó hadjáratok latin nyelvű kútfői

Cserényi–Zsitnyányi Ildikó

Pazmany Peter Catholic University 
Faculty of Humanity and Social Science 
Doctorate Degree of History 
Head of Department:  Ida Frohlich DSc 
Economy-, Regional - and Politics History Workshop 
Head of Department: Istvan  Berenyi DSc 
 
  
 
Ildiko Cserenyi - Zsitnyanyi 
 
 
Mining Engineer Lawsuits in the Rakosi Era 
 
with specific regard to the case of Bela Vargha and accomplices 
 
 
titled 
 
Doctorate (PhD) Dissertation Thesis 
 
 
 
 
Consultant: 
 
 Miklos Horvath DSc 
egyetemi tanár 
 
 
 
Budapest 
2016. 
 
2 
 
  
3 
 
I.  My topic choice, questions and aims 
 
After 1945, in Hungary mining industry had a particularly high priority in the reconstruction 
of the country and the gradually developing communist dictatorship, so it significantly 
benefitted from the investments of the period. At the same time, however, it became the 
victim of the continuously rising power mistrust and economic policy which ignored the 
natural features and capability of the country and also became the victim of the improper, 
short-term decisions. 
The mining engineering lawsuits in the Rakosi era can be considered to have been initiated in 
order to investigate fatal tragedies or the causes of stagnation or decline in engineering. It 
created a great reason to use them to get ideological or class-based revenge on people 
accusing them of industrial sabotage and deliberate misconduct. 
Based on the cases investigated by me, the power line, suspecting political intention behind 
the mining disasters, started to emerge in 1950. The mining accidents due to the laws of trade, 
which was incomprehensible for incompetent people and the power mistrust led to several 
political sabotage lawsuits. 
In my work - inter alia - I tried to demonstrate the mechanism of the artificially created 
sabotage cases and also whether there were any common features in the different lawsuits. 
 The starting point of my dissertation was to demonstrate what kind of international and home 
affairs induced such, at first sight on the surface “just” sabotage-like economic cases taking 
place from 1945 to the absolute communist takeover and then in the period of the totalitarian 
dictatorship which - being aware of the given political situation - counted as clear and 
dominant politically motivated economic lawsuits.  
Partly it was essential to look at what extent the set-up economic lawsuits could be pasted 
among other major lawsuits, partly what extent the economic lawsuits contributed in the 
economic policy of the communist party and what ideas reasoned them.  
The main topic of the dissertation is the lawsuit against Bela Vargha and accomplices 
motivated by the recognition of the unreal demand of the five-year plan in coal mining dated 
to 1950, which ones the power certainly intended to justify by scapegoating and not by 
political confession. The AVH already started its investigation in May 1951. The first arrests 
took place in August 1952. The basic concepts relied on a deliberate, organised sabotage 
action aiming the change of the political system, supported by foreign capitalists, working so 
well in several previous cases. 
4 
 
The case got supervised at the highest level: Gabor Peter took part in the interrogations in 
person and Erno Gero - in agreement with Matyas Rakosi - kept ordering more and more 
physical evidence. The AVH methods did not differ from its usual ones. In the investigation 
period it was rife to use physical punishment, psychological threats or extortions. Most 
culprits were held in preliminary and their statements were extorted by interrogations lasting 
30-40 hours sometimes, using coercive measures. Gathering daily cell-sneak reports had an 
essential role in the AVH-led interrogative period. However, it still was not enough to prove 
the deliberate sabotage, the 16 000 interrogative pages, investigating the cases of 13 
detainees, could not achieve the so desired outcome. 
My aim presenting the Bela Vargha and accomplices case was to demonstrate what kind of 
political-economic surrounding the investigation was started in, how specific the selection of 
the culprits was, how established the accusations were and what kind of ideology they were 
supposed to justify. Finally, how the accusations changed during the investigation until the - 
sometimes existing, sometimes missing - court sentences.  
Another aim of the dissertation was to demonstrate the investigation methods  of the AVH 
and the AVH-like Home Office (established in 1953.)  by using the almost entirely complete 
material of the Bela Vargha and accomplices case. To demonstrate the fact how respected 
experts pursuing to prevent the dissipation of the high quality coal assets became victims of 
the communist party, which launched an improper, robbery-like mining activity.  
 
II. Dissertation recources and process methods 
 
As there was no one who processed the 1952 - 1954 miner files in details, I could rely on few 
historic material. So during my work my main resource was mainly resources stored in 
archives. 
The most important resource base is a 42-page investigation material stored in the State 
Security Archives. The material called “miner files” and for some unknown reason it missed 
the so-called “re-arranging” procedure. This material follows each investigation periods step 
by step up to paroles or court judgements. 
Certainly we must approach these materials with reasonable resource-criticism, similarly to 
the state security cases of the period, since the interrogation records and self-statements were 
all statements forced by investigation authorities or they were pre-written ones. 
5 
 
Following the interrogation procedure these were often countervailed by lockup network 
reports, made about the prisoners after returning to their cells. The hired lockup agents were 
verbose and constructive. It was very instructive to compare the two different documents in 
which the detainees explained the information recorded in their “statements” to the agents 
sitting next to the culprits. 
In the ABTL we can also find documents regarding the revision of the gibbetted mining 
engineers and their rehabilitation. Apart from making conclusion for a given investigated case 
from these almost complete documents, we can also do the same regarding other (often 
imperfect) investigation materials and methods in the period. (e.g. MESZHART case, Jozsef 
Bende and his accomplices case) 
The investigation documents made in Bela Vargha and accomplices case and other 
rehabilitation related documents are stored among other file materials in the building of  
Budapest Archives.  
To get to know the coal-mining features and opportunities of the period, some studies 
published in scientific periodicals of the era helped my work as well - Mining and Metallurgy 
Magazine (BKL) and announcements of the Engineering Sciences Department of the 
Hungarian Scientific Academy - written mainly by mining experts mentioned in the 
investigation materials.  
Both the investigation material documents and the coal mining related ones of the era (reports, 
correspondences, statements) can be found in Cabinet reports, party documents (MKP, SZDP, 
MDP) and in documents of the Economic Authorities Department and the State Economy 
Committee, and can be researched in the National Archives of Hungarian National Archives 
(MNL OL). The used political management related correspondence and economic police-
related documents are stored in the building of Political History and Union Archives (PIL) 
During my research an issue by Gyula Erdmann (1975) publishing some major documents 
related to the 1945-1949 mining history in Hungary proved to be an essential by-resource. It 
helped me to make the conceptual nature of the charges, found in the investigation 
documents, clear. 
In addition to the archive materials some other documents offered by Laszlo Dzsida Jr. (the 
convicted Laszlo Dzsida’s son) helped to reconstruct the investigation process.  
I also managed to get in touch with dr. Pal Kaposztas’s great grandson, Tamas Lanczi, who 
supported my work with family-stories and photographs.  
6 
 
Regarding the mining files, two shorter studies have been published so far (Klara Katona 
(2002), Laszlo Molnar (1993). These mainly highlight some major information of ot, only. 
I started my research in this issue nearly ten years ago. As a result of it an edited volume was 
born demonstrating the major documents of the miner files with a summarising prelusive 
study. My current dissertation is the extended version of the first one, studying the topic on a 
broader base and comparing it with some other major mining lawsuits in the Rakosi era. 
 
III. The result of my PhD thesis 
 
In the background of the economic lawsuits in the Rakosi era both in Hungary and all the 
other countries belonging to the Soviet influenced group, the foreign power’s enforced 
political and economic intention prevailed. The communist dictatorship enforced an entirely 
inoperable economic system on the Hungarian nation and actualized its political aims by 
comprehensive terror. 
Based on the research carried out so far, the economic lawsuits can be considered to 
have been brought off  in 1950 or the following years. The onslaughts against the trade 
managers were begun right after the war. However, as that time there was a pressing need for 
mining professionals, it affected just a narrower society. 
Launching the plan-economy, however, from 1947 the numbers of onslaughters against 
mining professionals started to rise, leading to sabotage lawsuits set up by the political 
leadership and the AVH. 
An obvious common feature in the mining-related documents is the fact that the dates of 
the investigations carried out in 1950 and the following years often differed from the dates of 
events which justified the reasons for the investigations. (e.g. MESZHART case). In the 
mentioned period the reason for magisterial processes, besides the investigations whose aim 
was to find the cause of the massive fatal catastrophes, was the longer-term stagnant 
production and the slow pace of that. 
● As the investigations often differed from the dates of events mentioned in the 
documents, which dated back to the World War II, but sometimes even to the previous 
decades, mining engineers, technical leaders, geologists could get among the culprits 
of the sabotage lawsuits at any time in the fifties. 
● The documents suggest a certain AVH schema to the person of culprits: they paid 
particular attention to technical white-collars, mainly if during or before the war they 
7 
 
had fulfilled senior positions. They could became discriminated persons and then 
scapegoats easily. 
● The aim of the investigations, from the very beginning, was to make the culprits, 
themselves, confess their “guilt”, since the AVH do not have any other major evidence 
to prove the charges motivated by their political intention. Most of the cases had one 
special feature in common: the reason, due to which the investigation process was 
started, changed several times during the legal process. In quite a few cases 
differences can be seen between the suspicion implied at the beginning of the 
investigation and the charge recorded in the indictment, or the charge and the finally 
declared crime. These facts partly all refer to the conceptual feature of the lawsuits, 
partly that in certain cases, the Prosecutor’s Office did not accept the AVH (later the 
successor’s institution) investigation results as facts. 
● The major initial point of the Vargha case and even the economy policy of the period 
was the question whether the coal production should be adjusted to the existing coal 
assets, or ignoring the assets, only the demands should be taken into consideration. 
The Soviet-style plan-economy, however, did not pay any attention to the economic 
features of the country at all regarding the exploitable and available coal assets. 
Proving the conceptual feature of the investigations, the base of the charges was the 
statement that the five-year plan could not be fulfilled, but they wanted to prove this 
charge with disfigured facts such as deliberate sabotage acts in the coal mining 
activity. 
● As by the period of the five-year plan decision-making had been in the hand of  party-
trusted leaders of coal mining-related government agencies, they did not want to 
impeach them, so they had those professionals left only who had played major role in 
the mining industry both before 1945 and afterwards, during the three-year plan 
period, which had served the reconstruction of the country. 
● The internal security officers - related “illegitimacy” investigation materials provide 
the major resources regarding the AVH investigation methods and high-handed 
activities. So it is exceptional when we can follow the used coercive measures and 
their influence on the culprits in investigation materials, carried out by the AVH. 
Furthermore, the dissertation gives detailed insight into the character, using and tasks 
of cell-sneaks. 
8 
 
● Finally, regarding the investigation it can be said that the AVH did not work as a law 
enforcement authority, but - based on the (changing) party course line - it desperately 
searched and found “responsible” persons to a concocted conception, and among 
others tried to prove the lack of success of the farfetched economy policy. 
 
The complete rehabilitation of the 13 arrested persons still has not been brought off.  The six 
sentenced culprits, Laszlo Dzsida,  Henrik Heinrich, dr. Rezso Mohi, dr. Gyorgy Markus, dr. 
Jozsef Dery and dr. Bela Vargha, by individual revisions, freed from the detrimental legal 
consequences in 1956-57. Those paroled without sentences, e.g. Imre Hansagi, dr. Pal 
Kaposztas, dr. Geza Krupar. Dr. Sandor Vitalis, dr. Ferenc Kelemen and dr. Gyorgy Markus, 
did not get any kind of moral or financial compensation at all. Neither did dr. Sandor Schmidt, 
who lost his life during the investigation duress.  
 
IV. Publications, conference-presentations, other activities on the subject 
 
IV. 1. Independent Publicatiations 
o Politicized Economic Police. Economic Ordinary Ward, 1945-1948. NEB Bureau 
2015. 
o Dug Out “Lignite Crimes”  The Anatomy of a Rakosi Era Mining Lawsuit. Budapest, 
Historic Archives of State Security – L’Harmattan Publisher, 2013. 
IV. 2. Extracts, Chapters 
o Organisational Changes at The Home Office, 1953-1956. Trojan Horse at the Home 
Office – The AVH Organisation and General Staff, 1953-1956. Edited by Gyorgy 
Gyarmati and Maria Palasik. Budapest, Historic Archives of State Security – 
L’Harmattan Publishing Company2013. 63–127. 
IV. 3. Monographs, Communiques in Periodicals and Independent Publicatiations 
o BM II/4. (Transportation Intelligence) Office. In The Organisation of Revenge – The 
Military Police Reorganisation and Operation 1956–1962. Edited by Gergo Bendeguz 
Cseh and Imre Okvath. Budapest, State Security Services Historic Archives –
L’Harmattan Publishing Company, 2013. 103–121. 
o Dug up “Lignite Crimes” In The Big Brother’s Grocery. Monographs from The 
History of The Hungarian Secret Service after 1945. Edited by Gyorgy Gyarmati and 
9 
 
Maria Palasik. Budapest, State Security Historic Archives – L’ Harmattan Publishing 
Company, 2012. 131–151. 
o Organization changes in the State Security Ward (1950–1953). Betekinto, 2009/2. 
http://www.betekinto.hu/sites/default/files/2009_2_cserenyi_zsitnyanyi.pdf 
o Additions to a Sabotage Lawsuit methodology. Betekinto, 2008/1. 
http://www.betekinto.hu/sites/default/files/2008_1_cserenyi_zsitnyanyi.pdf 
o Additions to an Unfinished Concept.  In Variációk. Holiday study to Reverence of 
Sandor M. Kiss. Edited by Istvan Otvos. Piliscsaba, PPKE BTK, 2004, 293–308. 
IV. 4. Conference Presentations 
o 27 May 2016. „Saint Jerome Disappeared Under the Granny.” 
 The  Chorin- and Weiss Familes’ two  Counsellors In Deployment. Stateless in Their 
State. (The 65. Anniversary of the Deployment in Budapest).  Conference of the 
Historic Archives of the State Security, Budapest. 
o 30 November 2015. Wagon Lit Conductors. „Legalised” Smuggling at The Transport 
Intelligence. Episodes from the House of Secrets – Conference. Conference of the 
Historic Archives of the State Security. 
IV. 5. Scientific and Social Activities 
o 1 June 2016. Presentation (“Dug Up Lignite Crimes”) held at the joint session of the 
Hungarian Geological Association (Science-historic Section) and the National 
Hungarian Mining and Metallurgy Society.2016. Assistance in Adam Toser’s 
documentary “The socialism was built this way (too)”, as an expert. 
o 27 October 2014 “Lignite Crimes” – Presentation in Tatabanya at the OMBKE Mining 
Section. 
IV. 6. Monoghraphs published in English 
o „Lignite Crimes” unearthed. Anatomy of a mining engineers’ trial of the Rákosi era. 
In Big Brother’s miserable little grocery store. Studies on the history of the Hungarian 
secret services after World War II. Edited by György Gyarmati and Mária Palasik. 
Budapest, Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security – L'Harmattan, 2012. 
131–152. 


A Rákosi-korszak bányamérnök-perei

Ligeti Balázs

English

Application of Grapf Models in Bioinformatics

László Endre

Parallelization of Numerical Methods on Parallel Processor Architectures

Hamvas Gábor

Theses of Doctoral (PhD) Dissertation 
 
 
 
 
GÁBOR HAMVAS 
 
EKPHRASEIS IN SILVER LATIN EPIC 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SUPERVISOR: 
 
DR. LÁSZLÓ TAKÁCS  
 
 
 
Pázmány Péter Catholic University 
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences 
Doctoral School of Linguistics 
Classical Philology Doctoral Programme 
Budapest 
2016 
 1 
I. Previous research and aims of the dissertation 
 
Until the middle of the 20th century ekphraseis were not part of the 
literary analysis: those were treated as functionless ornaments of the 
epic texts. In the past six decades – from the expression becoming a 
modern literary term until now – a great amount of studies have been 
written about the ekphraseis of ancient literary works. However, as I 
know, nobody tried yet to write an extensive analysis of the passages 
interpretable as ekphrasis of silver latin (AD 14–117) epics, such as 
the Ilias Latina, Lucan’s Pharsalia, Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica, 
Statius’ Thebaid and Achilleid and Silius Italicus’ Punica, using the 
same criteria. 
 This analysis was necessary on the one hand to get an 
opportunity to observe relationships and lay tendencies relating to 
the treating of ekphraseis by the epic writers of the period, on the 
other hand because nobody has yet studied the majority of the 
shorter descriptions applying literary aspects: these passages are 
mentioned mainly only in the commentaries in the epics, and are 
there analysed only in linguistic or stilistic way. 
 Furthermore, to the proper election of the passages to 
analyse, it was also necessary to (re)define ekphrasis. 
 2 
II. Methodology 
 
After collecting the passages fitting into the new-coined definition of 
ekphrasis, the next step was analysing them by applying the same 
criteria, and the prior questions were always why the given picture or 
object is chosen and described and what it’s function is in the poem. 
Further aspects of the analysis were the viewpoint of the ekphrasis, 
the interpretation of the viewer’s reaction and whether the 
description alludes to the lifelikeness of the described object. 
Concerning the picture descriptions it was also an aspect if the theme 
of the picture is mythological or historical. Regarding the shield 
descriptions it was examined too if the representation on the shield 
fulfils some function of ancient shields, like alluding to family or 
geographical origin of the wearer or terrify the enemy. A further 
aspect was if the ekphrasis has a proleptic function or is a so-called 
„inverted self-reflection” i.e. it presents an inverted story compared 
to that of the character related to the representation. 
 Philological problems of the passages were taken into 
consideration only if those had any importance of the interpretation.
 3 
III. Results 
 
One of the important results is the creation of a new definition of 
ekphrasis according to which ekphrasis is a literary text or passage 
which is a description of something real or fictious included at least 
in two of the categories of representation, picture and art. The 
advantage of this definition is that it can handle the descriptions of 
graphical representations and buildings (which were counted as 
ekphraseis previously, too) together. 
 It is also an important statement, that ekphrasis can be 
considered one of the main charasteristics of an epic, if it is assumed 
that ekphrasis was already used in oral poetry and if the main 
charasteristics of an epic are which can be originated from the oral 
tradition. 
 The most important result of the dissertation is not a 
conclusion that can be summarized in a few sentences but the same 
criteria analysis of the passages mostly ignored by the former 
studies, and therefore the demonstration that every single ekphrasis 
has it’s own function in the text of the epics. 
 My most important statements about the analysed 
ekphraseis are the follows: 
 The shield description in the Ilias Latina is the most original 
part of the epic and it’s main purpose is to glorify Nero. 
 Pompey’s imaginary tomb is there in the Pharsalia for the 
narrator can enumerate the general’s glorious acts. The description of 
Iuppiter Hammon’s temple serves to emphasize the stoic ideals, 
 4 
whereas the presentation of Cleopatra’s luxurious palace is to 
condemne the luxury. 
 In the epic of Valerius Flaccus the pictures decorating the 
ship, Argo forecast Jason’s tragical marriage and the conquest of the 
sea and the barbaric nations. The picture on the shield of Phalerus 
expresses the wearer’s helplessness. In the case of the cloak of 
Castor and Pollux the purple colour highlights their importance, and 
as they are twins the duality is an important motif of the description. 
The narrator describes Canthus’ shield to stress this hero’s 
significance and the pictures on the shield hint that Canthus is safe 
on the sea and the mainland is dangerous for him. Jason’s cloak 
recalls Hypsipyle’s loyalty. The depictions on Cyzicus’ goblet shows 
both the past and the future but both the king of the Dolionians and 
Jason misinterpret the meaning of these images. The reliefs on the 
doors of the Colchian temple represent partly future events beyond 
the plot of the epic, but Jason does not understand the sense of these 
either. The descriptions of armours in the catalogue of Perses’ army 
have chiefly the function of indicating the origin. 
 The description of Adrastus’ goblet in Statius’ Thebaid is 
also characterized by the motif of duality, that alludes that the epic 
has two protagonists, and the pictures foreshadow the death of 
Tydeus and Polynices. The descriptions of the statues of the seven 
kings of Argos can be paralleled to the seven chiefs of the epic. The 
Sphinx on Polynices’ sword signifies his origin. The visualization of 
the story of the Danaids on Hippomedon’s shield forecasts the 
heroe’s death in the water, like the depictions on Capaneus’ armour 
 5 
allude to his death. The conquered Python on the shield of 
Amphiaraus is related to the divination. On the shield of 
Parthenopaeus, there can be seen his mother Atalanta. On one hand, 
it shows his origin, on the other hand the masculine mother hunting 
with arrows can be opposed to the girlish boy who dies from arrows. 
The narrator itself admits the proleptic function of descriptions in the 
description of Opheltes’ coverlet. The presentation of the statues of 
the ancestors carried at the Nemean Games is the extension of the 
description of the statues of the Argolic kings. The depiction of 
Mars’ palace can be compared with that of Harmonia’s necklace 
because both are related to the outbreak of the war. The 
representation of the rape of Europa on Crenaeus’ shield can be 
paralleled to the pictures of the shield of Hippomedon who kills him. 
The pattern of the peplos given to Juno draws the attention to the 
women’s role in the war. The description of the Sleep’s dwelling can 
be compared with the presentation of Mars’ palace, among others 
because both of them are related to Death. The depictions on the 
armours of the warriors defending Thebes have mostly the function 
of indicating the origin. The picture of Theseus itself on his own 
shield (and his double appearance by that) symbolizes that he takes 
over the role of former protagonists. 
 In the shield description of the Achilleid the pictures of the 
battles show Achilles’ future, and the shield helps him to understand 
his proper identity because he sees himself in the pictures reflected 
in a wrong form (dressed like a woman). 
 6 
 The description of Dido’s temple in the Punica of Silius 
Italcius prepares the events of war. The pictures on Bagrada’s shield 
symbolizes that the danger can be overcome. The temple described 
at the reception of the saguntinian embassy can allude to the ultimate 
roman victory. The depictions of Theron’s shield forecast the death 
of the priest of Hercules and also the final defeat of Hannibal. The 
images of Hannibal’s man-made shield can represent only past 
events, but one can deduce from their arrangement that war must be 
come. The scenes relating to the description of the temple of Gades 
emphasize Hannibal’s irreverence for Hercules. The shield of Crixus 
has the function of indicating the origin, it is also apotropaic and 
indicates the wearer’s death, too – simlarly to the pictures on the 
armour of the consul, C. Flaminius, and the description of their 
armours can be paralleled in many aspects. The Carthaginian viewers 
seeing the events of the first punic war in the temple of Liternum 
should realize their repeated defeat. The depiction of Scaevola’s 
shield symbolizes the patriotism and alludes to this character’s death 
in the form of inverted self-reflection. Hasdrubal’s cloak is a man-
made product that – likewise in the case of Hannibal’s shield – can 
express that this punic chief is not supported by the gods either and 
the pictures on the cloak hint to his defeat. The description of 
Scipio’s shield symbolizes chiefly the general’s final glory, like the 
picture which is carried in his triumph and represents Hannibal’s 
retreat. 
 7 
The revealing all of these releatinoships contributed to a 
repeated rehabilitation of the silver latin epics anteriorly thought 
valueless and secondary to the Aeneid.  
In addition to the individual analysis of the passages, I also 
enumerated some relationships and tendencies pertaining to the 
ekphraseis of silver latin epics, and it can be said that most of the 
ekphraseis are shield descriptions that are predominantly in the 
catalogues of the epics. According to the descriptions the pictures on 
the armours largely allude to the family origin of the wearer and in 
very few cases have the function of terrifying the enemy. The 
building descriptions are mostly temple descriptions, the picture 
descriptions frequently represent mythological scenes and the 
pictures are often proleptic, in most cases in the form of inverted 
self-reflection. We learn the reaction of hte characther viewing the 
picture if he or she is a protagonist or an important character of the 
epic. Very few ekphraseis allude to the lifelikeness. If the narrator 
refers to the arrangement of the picture, it is made mainly by typical 
pronouns or by phrases used in Vergil’s ekphraseis. The literary 
patterns come logically from Homer, Vergil and Ovid, but the silver 
latin poets prefer adjusting the ekphraseis to their poems’ literary 
purpose to following models. 
 
 8 
IV. Relevant publications 
 
Hercules temploma Silius Italicus Punica című eposzában. In: 
ADORJÁNI ZS. - JUTAI P. (ed.), ΑΡΙΣΤΕΙΑ. A Collegium 
Hungaricum Societatis Europaeae Studiosorum Philologiae 
Classicae IV. országos konferenciáján elhangzott előadások. 
Budapest 2009, 106–111. 
 
La descrizione del Tempio di Ercole. Silio Italico, Punica 3. 1–60. 
AAntHung 51 (2011) 59–66. 
 
Apolló és a Múzsák Achilles pajzsán. (Ilias Latina 880-884) In: 
TAKÁCS L. (ed.), Szöveg és hagyomány, Tanulmányok. 
Piliscsaba 2013, 67–81. 
 


Ekphrasisok az ezüstkori eposzirodalomban

Kovács Katalin Anita

Az erdélyi fejedelmi udvar hollandiai diplomáciai és ideológiai kapcsolatai a 17. században

Not a member yet