Rakosi

• Rakosi used terror and brutality to keep control, killing an estimated 2000 people in the purges and imprisoning around 200,000 political opponents. The Secret police (AVH) became a hated and dreaded part of Hungarian life.

  To further Rakosi's control, religious teaching in school was attacked and removed from the education system. Cardinal Mindszenty, the leader of the Hungarian Catholic Church, was imprisoned for life in 1949.
• Rakosi put forward a five year plan to transform the economy of Hungary, but it failed to bring real progress. The plan was devoted to heavy industry and the production of steel, but Hungary had no iron ore or coking coal with which to produce steel. Living standards began to fall and in 1952 Hungary experienced its lowest agricultural output ever.

  Rakosi became increasingly unpopular.