József Antall
After completing his PhD, József Antall worked as a historian and teacher. He also became involved in politics, joining the Independent Smallholders' Party, which had been a dominant political force in Hungary before the Communist takeover. In 1979, Antall was elected to the Hungarian Parliament, where he served until 1990. During his time in parliament, he was a vocal critic of the Communist regime and became known for his advocacy of democracy and human rights. Following the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Antall played a key role in the creation of the first non-Communist government in Hungary since 1947, serving as the country's first post-Communist Prime Minister from 1990 until his death in 1993.