Memories of the 50s‘, of the 1956 revolution and of so called constructing camps in the countries of the Eastern Block
Máthé Dénes He was born in Budapest, he grew up in Kelenföld (South of Buda) where the inhabitants were mostly from the Christian-middle class. He was a member of the Reformated Congregation and he recalls that there was a close and trustful relation between the families from the congregation. He remembers that they havent felt the direct opression of the Rákosi-era, but in almost every family some atrocity have occured, the sense of terror has always been there in the air. His grandmother who lived in Solt was declared as „kulak“. The harvested grain was taken from her and she was told officially what plants she was allowed to grown. Later she got tired of the continuous vexation and gave up farming life. During the 1956 revolution they lived close to Móricz Zsigmond square which was a stronghold againts the Soviet tanks. He remembers the unselfish behavior of the people of the countryside: they brought fresh bred and meat to the people of Budapest and they gave it for free. On the Móricz square there was an open bin where people collected cash for the families of the passed freedomfighters. No one even thought to steal from it. The morale was miraculous during that time. The Hungarians defended the square by soaping the bricks so those became very slippery so Soviet tanks could not move forward, they became an easy target. He has graduated as chemical engineer. He never entered the communist state party, but he attended some so called constructing camps in the countries of the Eastern Block.