Pap_Milan_A_parttag_elete

The Life of a Party Member: Personal Lifestyle as a Source of Propaganda in Pártélet in 1956

Abstract

The launch of the largest-circulation party magazine of the Kádár era, Pártélet (Party Life), can be traced back to the end of 1955. The Central Committee of the Hungarian Workers’ Party (MDP), established the journal by merging Pártépítés (Party Building) and Propagandista, upon the joint proposal from the Agitation and Propaganda Department and the Party and Mass Organizations Department. The editorial board of Pártélet began its operation at the beginning of 1956, placing significant emphasis on the theoretical and practical aspects of propaganda. Primarily, it served to prepare party members for propaganda work both within the party and in various segments of society. The archives of the editorial board from 1956 preserve letters in which party members and non-affiliated private individuals requested solutions to their problems from the editors. Many of these letters were reactions to published articles that truly delved into issues related to party life, such as the morality of party members, communist lifestyle, or the coherence of Marxist–Leninist ideas. Some of these letters were used in Pártélet to provide guidance about communist conduct and values. For example: Can a party member have a church wedding if the future mother-in-law insists? Can a party member participate in a funeral celebrated by a religious figure? Should delegates at party meetings stand or sit during the Internationale? Party propaganda sought to answer these questions during a period when the process of destalinization challenged the direction and the future of the party. The study aims to reconstruct the procedures of party propaganda, including those letters that were not published but the editorial board felt the need to respond to the senders.