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Primary sourcePhotograph1919

Red Star Tableau from the Hungarian Soviet Republic

1919

A 1919 photograph of a crowd gathered under a red star banner during the Hungarian Soviet Republic, the regime Béla Kun led.

Shows a public gathering under the red star symbol of the regime Kun led as its de facto leader in 1919.

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Sepia photograph of a crowd of men in military-style caps, coats and boots standing outdoors in front of a plastered building with an arched doorway. A white banner with a red star outline is held on a pole at center, and a dark flag is at right. A man in a bowler hat and dark suit stands in the middle.
Photograph of a Red Star tableau, Hungarian Soviet Republic, 1919. Fortepan.

About this source

What it is

This is a sepia photograph from 1919 showing a crowd of men in military-style caps, coats and boots gathered outdoors in front of a building. A white banner outlined with a red star is held aloft on a pole, and a dark flag stands nearby. A man in a bowler hat and dark suit stands at the centre of the group.

Why it matters

The red star was the symbol of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, the short-lived communist government established in 1919 with Béla Kun as its de facto leader and foreign affairs commissar. Images like this one show how the new regime used public displays and symbols to assert its authority and rally supporters.

Look closer

  • What does the clothing of the crowd tell you about who gathered for this event?
  • Why might a photograph like this have been taken and kept?
  • What is missing from this image that might help you understand the full context of the event?

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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