László Rajk (8 May 1909 - 15 October 1949) was a Hungarian communist leader who unsuccessfully opposed the Stalinist leader Mátyás Rákosi in the post-World War II period. May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Communism is a term that can refer to one of several things: a social and economic system, an ideology which supports that system, or a political movement that wishes to implement that system. ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. ... Mátyás Rákosi (March 14, 1892–February 5, 1971) was a Hungarian politician and the leader of Hungary from 1945 to 1956. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Rajk served in the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. He went to France before returning to Hungary in 1941, when he was imprisoned by the Hungarian authorities until the country was liberated by the Red Army. Blason of the International Brigades The International Brigade was the name given to the band of volunteers and mercenaries who travelled to Spain to fight against the Nationalist forces led by General Franco and helped by Nazi German and Mussolini Italian forces, and defend the legitimate Spanish Republic government in... Alternative meaning: Spanish Civil War, 1820-1823 A republican soldier seeks cover on the Plaza de Toros in Teruel, east of Madrid. ... Red Army flag The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya in Russian), the armed forces organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ...

In Hungary's post-WWII Communist Government led by Prime Minister Rákosi, Rajk served as Interior Minister and then Foreign Secretary. A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or semi-presidential system whose duty is to execute the directives of the President and... The Interior Minister is a member of a Cabinet in a Government. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ...

Rajk incurred the hostility of Rákosi, who was wary of possible rivals. When Rajk criticised the imposition of Stalinist policies in Hungary, he was arrested in September 1949. At his trial Rajk made a forced confession claiming he had been a tool, among others, of the pre-Communist leader Miklós Horthy, the Yugoslav leader Tito, and the United States, and was executed as a result. Miklós Horthy in 1921 Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya (Vitéz Nagybányai Horthy Miklós in Hungarian) (June 18, 1868–February 9, 1957) was a Hungarian Admiral and statesman and served as the Regent of Hungary from March 1, 1920 until October 15, 1944. ... The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a Balkan state that existed from 1945 to 1992. ... Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980) was the ruler of Yugoslavia between the end of World War II and his death in 1980. ...

His reburial, on 6 October 1956 was an important prelude to the Hungarian Uprising. October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in Leap years). ... 1956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. ... Hungarians investigate a disabled Soviet tank in Budapest The 1956 Hungarian Revolution, also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a popular revolt against Soviet influence and control in Hungary. ...

He is not to be confused with his son, László Rajk Jr., who was active in the opposition movement in the 1980s, and is involved in other fields.