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Primary sourcePhotograph1919

Hungarian Soviet Republic Posters, Budapest (Fortepan 75863)

Péchy László (donor); Ödön Dankó and Marcell Vértes (graphics) · 1919

A 1919 street photograph of propaganda posters defending the Hungarian Soviet Republic, the government led by Béla Kun.

Shows the propaganda street culture of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, the regime Kun effectively led.

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Black-and-white street photograph of a wooden wall covered with Hungarian Soviet Republic posters. A large banner reads 'Proletárok védjétek a tanácsköztársaságot! Fegyverbe!' Below are smaller posters, including one with 'VELEM VAGY ELLENEM' and one reading 'Lelánczoltuk az alkoholt!' Two pedestrians in long coats and hats walk past on the left.
Fortepan 75863, Budapest, 1919. Donor: Péchy László.

About this source

What it is

This photograph shows a wooden wall in Budapest covered with posters from 1919, including a large banner calling on proletarians to defend the 'tanácsköztársaság' (Soviet Republic) and take up arms. Smaller posters by artists Ödön Dankó and Marcell Vértes are also visible.

Why it matters

The image captures everyday street life saturated with political messaging under the Hungarian Soviet Republic, led by Béla Kun, showing how the regime used posters to urge citizens toward loyalty, sacrifice, and even personal behavior like abstaining from alcohol.

Look closer

  • What different kinds of messages are combined on this one wall?
  • Why might a government want posters about both politics and personal habits like drinking?
  • What do the pedestrians walking past suggest about how ordinary people experienced this propaganda?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Béla Kun on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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