György Lázár facts for kids

Quick facts for kids György Lázár
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary
In office 15 May 1975 – 25 June 1987
First Secretary	János Kádár
Preceded by	Jenő Fock
Succeeded by	Károly Grósz
Personal details
Born	(1924-09-15)15 September 1924 Isaszeg, Hungary
Died	2 October 2014(2014-10-02) (aged 90) Budapest, Hungary
Political party	Hungarian Communist Party, Hungarian Working People's Party, Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party

György Lázár (born September 15, 1924 – died October 2, 2014) was an important Hungarian politician. He was a member of the Communist Party. He served as the Prime Minister of Hungary (officially called Chairman of the Council of Ministers) for 12 years. This was from 1975 to 1987. He stopped working in politics in 1988.

Early Life and Education

György Lázár was born in Isaszeg, Hungary, on September 15, 1924. His family was a working-class family. His father worked as a carpenter. György Lázár studied to become an engineer. From 1942 to 1944, he worked as a technical draftsman.

During World War II, in 1944, he was forced to join a group called the Levente organization. This group was like a military training program. In January 1945, he became a prisoner of war. After this, he joined Hungarian soldiers who fought with the Red Army. They fought against the Nazi-backed Hungarian army in the western part of the country.

Political Career

György Lázár joined the Hungarian Communist Party (MKP) in 1945. He also joined the parties that came after it. These were the Hungarian Working People's Party (MDP) from 1948 and the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (MSZMP) from 1956.

From 1948, he worked for the National Planning Board (OT). This board helped plan the country's economy. He became a Deputy Head and then a Head of a department there. From 1958 to 1970, he was the Vice Chairman of the OT.

In 1970, he became a member of the Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party. He also served as the Minister of Labour from 1970 to 1973. In 1973, he became a Deputy Prime Minister. He was also the Chairman of the National Planning Board. From 1973 to 1975, Lázár was Hungary's main representative to the Comecon. This was an economic group for communist countries.

György Lázár meeting with Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1976.

In March 1975, he was chosen to be a member of the Political Committee. This was a very important group in the party. After the previous Prime Minister, Jenő Fock, resigned, György Lázár was chosen to be the new Prime Minister of Hungary. He also became a member of the National Assembly of Hungary in June.

He was one of the longest-serving leaders in Hungarian history. He was Prime Minister for 12 years and 41 days. This was from May 15, 1975, to June 25, 1987. People said he was very loyal to the party leader, János Kádár.

In 1977, György Lázár signed a treaty in Budapest. This started a large and debated dam project called the Gabčíkovo–Nagymaros Dams. During his time as Prime Minister, he was part of a group that received the Holy Crown of Hungary back from the United States. This happened in the Hungarian Parliament Building.

In 1987, there were big changes in the government. Lázár became the Deputy Secretary-General of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party. This meant he was the deputy for János Kádár. Károly Grósz took over as Prime Minister after him.

Retirement and Later Life

In May 1988, there was a big meeting of the party. The leader, Kádár, was replaced. György Lázár was one of the older leaders who were not chosen for the new Central Committee. He lost all his party jobs.

Lázár retired in 1988. After that, he lived a quiet life away from the public eye. In 2011, there was talk about the high pensions that former communist leaders received. His name was mentioned on a list in a magazine called Heti Válasz.

György Lázár passed away on October 2, 2014, in Budapest. He was 90 years old. His family announced his death later in October 2014.

Sources

• Bölöny, József – Hubai, László: Magyarország kormányai 1848–2004 [Cabinets of Hungary 1848–2004], Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 2004 (5th edition).
• Ezenanapon: Lázár György (Hungarian)
• Hungarian History, glossary, 1968–1990 (Hungarian)

See also

In Spanish: György Lázár para niños