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Unlike in other countries of Eastern Europe where the opposition to communism came in the form of single mass movements led by charismatic leaders such as V clav Havel and Lech Walęsa, in Hungary the opposition was very fragmented, brought together and made effective only by the authoritative, significant but relatively unknown rp d G ncz, who subsequently became Hungary's first post-communist president.

This book charts the political career of rp d G ncz, outlining the outstanding contribution he made to Hungary's transition to democracy. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including archives and interviews with G ncz himself and others, it shows how G ncz, unlike Havel who was a playwright and whose political role was largely symbolic, was a campaigning politician all his life, consistently advocating social democratic, but not communist, values. Imprisoned from 1956 for his participation in the 1956 uprising, G ncz was a highly-effective political operator in the transition period around 1989, and as president wielded real power effectively. As politics in Hungary are again marred by deep division and fragmentation, G ncz's success in bringing rival groups together is even more pronounced.