The memorial plaque for Imre Nagy was installed in the auditorium of the Matthias Corvinus University towards the end of the 1990's. It contains a bronze likeness of Nagy at the upper left-hand side. Nearby to the right, one cane see his name and biography engraved. Imre Nagy was born on June 7, 1896 in the city of Kaposvár, located in the southwest Hungarian district of Somogy. After four years of grammar school (1907 until 1912), he undertook a locksmith apprenticeship, and subsequently acquired his apprenticeship diploma as a machine fitter in the year 1914. During the summer of 1941, Imre Nagy matriculated at the Advanced Commercial School in Kaposvár, beginning studies in September of the same year which he would, however, not be able to finish. After the outbreak of World War I Nagy was drafted as a soldier into the Austro-Hungarian army in May 1915. In July 1916, he became a Russian prisoner of war in Galicia, later being detained in a camp in Beresovka at Lake Baikal. Here, he came into contact for the first time with ideas originating from the Russian Socialist movement, which would remain lasting influences for the rest of his life. Following the October Revolution in 1917, he joined the labour union at the prisoner of war camp, as well as combining efforts with a Red Guard which was still in its nascent phase. In May 1920, he became a member of the Russian Communist Party, and after the summer of 1920 he had joined the „Pan-Russian Extraordinary Commission for the Fight Against Counterrevolution and Sabotage (Čeka)“ in Irkutsk. Along with these activities, Nagy also gave lectures and wrote articles for local newspapers run by Hungarian Communists. Returning to Hungary in 1921, he became a member of the Social Democratic Party, although he was later excluded from membership as a result of his left-wing extremist views. Eventually, Nagy was placed under police surveillance. Following two arrests during the year 1927, which ended with his exoneration due to a lack of evidence, Nagy went underground. He responded to demands coming from the leadership of the illegal Hungarian Communist Party (KMP) and traveled on to Vienna at the end of March 1928. From there, he returned to Budapest once again despite his illegal status, but finally emigrated to the Soviet Union in 1930. He was a co-worker at the International Agronomy Institute there and was primarily concerned with issues regarding Hungarian agriculture, going on to develop the agrarian programme for the Communist Party of Hungary. Nagy just narrowly evaded the wide-reaching social purges which ensued after the denunciation of Béla Kun. He was expelled from the Communist Part in the early months of 1936, he was under arrest for a brief period in 1938, nonetheless he was spared further indignities afterwards. Shortly preceding World War II, Nagy was allowed to rejoin the Communist Party. During WWII, he was employed by the state radio broadcaster responsible for Hungarian programmes in Moscow. Returning to Hungary in December 1944, Nagy served as Minister of Agriculture until 1946, while simultaneously acting as Minister of the Interior for the provisional Hungarian government in Debrecen. From 1947 until 1949 he was president of the Hungarian National Assembly. During the latter year, Nagy came into conflict with official party policies, which led to his resignation from the politbureau of the Hungarian Workers' Party (MDP). Only one year later, Nagy was allowed to rejoin the party leadership, although he served in a position of less significance. In 1953, he was appointed Minister President and attempted to implement comprehensive political and economic reforms. In 1955, Nagy was divested of all political functions and was expelled from the Party. Nevertheless, his ideas were kept alive by parts of the Hungarian intelligentsia, and after mid-1956 these ideas were increasing debated in the public sphere. Nagy – who had scarcely participated in such developments himself – remained a beacon of hope for a reformed Hungarian state. Responding to the pressures of the initial demonstrations, Nagy returned to the upper echelons of party leadership at the request of the insurgents on October 23, 1956, and was shortly thereafter appointed Minister President. In this function, he endeavoured to defend the most important interests of the revolution both in respect to the Hungarian Workers' Party (MDP) and the Soviet hegemony. Initially, his reaction to the insurgents was reserved. Only after his declaration from October 28th and the cease-fire did Nagy advance to a leading figure of the Hungarian revolution. He actively supported the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the establishment of a multi-party system of government and the neutrality of the Hungarian state. On October 30, 1956, a new government was formed with Nagy at its head, which also included non-communists and liberals. After the second invasion of Soviet troops on November 4, 1956, Nagy and his co-workers were forced to seek refuge in the Yugoslav embassy. Despite the reassurements of the new party leader János Kádárs, Nagy was arrested by Soviet officials on November 22nd, and was taken to Romania. Nagy – together with his wife - was confined to a house in Snagov and not allowed to proceed beyond its garden. They were under constant observation by the Romanian secret service, their conversations were monitored and transcribed. On April 12, 1957, Nagy was placed under official arrest in Snagov and the extradited to Hungary in June. Nagy was detained with other captives in the prison in the Fő utca, while the political leadership of the state was making preparations for the trial against him. On June 15, 1958, Imre Nagy was sentenced to death by the People's Court Division of the Hungarian Supreme Court. The charges were high treason and the formation of a conspiracy to overthrow the Hungarian government. A plea for clemency was rejected immediately after the legal proceedings, and Nagy was transferred to the prison in the Kozma utca to spend his final night. During the early morning hours of June 16, 1958, Imre Nagy was hanged in the penitentiary.