The White Terror by Bodo Bela;

Author:Bodo, Bela;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)
Published: 2019-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Violent spaces in Budapest

The militias tried to control the movement of people, the flow of traffic, the transport of goods and the spread of information in the capital as well. In late 1919 and 1920, paramilitary groups patrolled the business districts (Újlipótváros, Terézváros, Erzsébetváros and Józsefváros) of Budapest. Militiamen carried out identity checks on the Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút), i.e. Lipót, Teréz, József and Ferenc Boulevards; the Small Boulevard (Kiskörút), i.e. Vilmos Császár and Károly Király Avenues; and Múzeum and Vámház Avenues. They controlled major thoroughfares, such as Andrássy and Rákóczi Avenues; promenades, such as Rudolf Pier (today Duna Promenade) and Váci Street; and smaller but commercially and culturally important streets in the Jewish districts (Király, Dob, Síp, Dohány, Klauzál, Podmaniczky and Wesselényi Streets). They were always ready to be called upon to maintain order at the busy intersections, such as the Oktogon and Kálmán Tisza, Teleki, Klauzál, Rákóczi, Lujza Blaha and Szent Gellért Squares (see Map 4.1).

One of the tasks and privileges of the militias during the counterrevolution was to carry out identity checks. This work provided an excellent opportunity for poor war veterans to line their pockets, and for sadistic antisemites to live out their fantasies. The militiamen behaved like bandits, fighting over booty and stealing from one another.130 Like stick-up artists, the patrols tried to gain “situational dominance” over their victims, by choosing the place and time of their attacks well.131 The military detectives normally attacked in groups and at night, operated in familiar territories, wore impressive uniforms and carried weapons. The young, healthy and strong militia men typically chose to attack middle-aged and middle-class civilians, as well as the unimposing, the weak, the sickly and the disabled—men and women from whom they expected little or no resistance.132 The main purpose of the identity check was to steal from and humiliate the victims.133 The victims did not have too many options: humility and subservience normally invited more abuse; contradicting or resisting conceited young men in uniforms, on the other hand, could lead to bloody assaults.134 Complete physical and mental collapse held serious dangers for the victims; in such cases, honed in on the target, the perpetrators typically could not stop with the abuse until their quarry had suffered serious injuries and even death.135

The militias not only failed to restore order on the streets of Budapest; thanks to their activities, the streets in the business and entertainment districts emptied out at night.136 The militias stopped both Jews and “Jewish-looking” individuals: having a pair of eyeglasses and sporting a “Jewish nose” were often enough for someone to land in jail or be beaten unconscious by anti-intellectual and xenophobic soldiers.137 Such misidentifications made during identity checks sometimes produced curious results. If we can believe the Communist commentator József Pogány, a military patrol stopped the car of a high-ranking police officer by the name of Jánossy and his wife (or girlfriend) in Budapest in December 1919. The soldiers ordered Jánossy to “get out of the car, you Jew, and take your slut with you!” in order to confiscate the automobile.

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