Claim:
In March 1919 Mihály Károlyi handed over the power to the communists
Rebuttal:
In March 1919 Károlyi as the president of the republic wanted to appoint a fully social democratic government, but the Social Democrats had merged with the communists behind his back, declared Hungary a soviet (meaning ’council’) socialist republic and made Károlyi resign.
In detail:
Károlyi is sometimes claimed accountable for the communist power grab of 1919, pushing Hungary further along the way towards the tragedy of Trianon. The question here is basically whether he had known about the agreement between the social democrats and the communists, had he known about the planned coup. Was it Károlyi who signed his own resignation at all? He denied these allegations till the end of his days. The accounts and reminiscences of the contemporaries all seem to underpin this.
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