Grosz, Károly (1930–1996)

Hungarian communist politician, prime minister 1987–88. As leader of the ruling Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (HSWP) 1988–89, he sought to establish a flexible system of ‘socialist pluralism’.

Grosz, a steelworker's son, was a printer and then a newspaper editor before moving to Budapest to serve as first deputy head and then head of the HSWP agitprop (agitation and propaganda) department 1968–79. He was Budapest party chief 1984–87 and briefly prime minister before succeeding János Kádár as HSWP leader May 1988. In October 1989 the HSWP reconstituted itself as the Hungarian Socialist Party and Grosz was replaced as party leader by the social democrat Rezso Nyers.