Pál Germuska completed the Árpád Gimnázium (secondary school) in Tatabánya in 1990 and enrolled in the Loránd Eötvös University of Sciences, Faculty of Arts in that year, majoring in history and art history, and later modern and contemporary historical museum studies.
In 1994, he contributed to a research programme headed by András B. Hegedüs, aimed at exploring the 1956 history of the Budapest Arts Faculty, whose findings later appeared in book form. He also took part in 1994–5 in a project headed by László Hubai at the Institute of Party History, on the history of the parliamentary elections between 1920 and 1990, in which he was responsible for gathering 1920–35 the election documents for Békés, Tolna and Zala counties.
In January 1996, Pál Germuska defended a history degree dissertation on the organization and operation of the Defence and Interior Ministry special police organizations and the Workers’ Militia in Tatabánya in 1956–8. In January 1997, he defended a degree dissertation for modern and contemporary historical museum studies, on the reprisals and consolidation at the Loránd Eötvös University after the 1956 Revolution.
At the end of 1995, Pál Germuska joined the staff of the 1956 Institute, where he was among the editors and contributors for the three-volume 1956 Handbookl published in the autumn of 1996. As a conclusion to the research on the Loránd Eötvös University, he wrote with Tibor Beck a collection of studies on its history in 1956–8. This was published in June 1997 as Revolution in the Arts Faculty.
In 1997–8, Pál Germuska worked as an editor in the 1956 Institute working group engaged on the digital history of 1956 for the Sulinet educational website of the Ministry of Culture and Education. This material was incorporated into the 1956 Institute website (www.rev.hu) in 1998. In the same year, he began to explore and gather materials for a history of the Workers’ Militia in 1957–61, with financial support from OKTK. He is continuing with this in 2001, again with OKTK funding. In 1998–9, he worked as an editor and compiler on the revised and expanded 1956 Handbookl, as a multimedia CD–ROM. This appeared in July 1999.
In the autumn of 1996, Pál Germuska joined the Arts and Social History Doctorate Programme at Loránd Eötvös University, which he completed in September 1999. His doctoral dissertation (written under the supervision of Gábor Gyáni) is entitled The Place of the Socialist Towns in the History of Hungarian Urbanization, 1945–1971. It deals with the industrial new towns established in the communist period, an aspect of urbanization to receive little attention hitherto. Since September 1, 1998, he has been assistant researcher with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ 1956 Research Station, as an employee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ Bureau of Supported Research Stations.
For the original titles of writings in Hungarian, see the Hungarian list of publications.
‘The Revolution in Tatabánya. A Chronological Outline’ (in Hungarian). In: Yearbook III of the Documentation and Research Institute of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, 1994. Budapest: 1956 Institute, 1994, pp. 197–219.
1956 Handbook. Vols I–III, edited by András B. Hegedüs (in Hungarian, editorial assistant with Tibor Beck). Budapest: 1956 Institute, 1996, 436 + 312 + 392 pp.
‘János Kádár in Tatabánya—November 30, 1956’ (in Hungarian, prepared for publication). Beszélő, October 1996, pp. 77–85.
‘Mad’arská revoluce, 1956’ (with Békés Csaba and János M. Rainer). Soudobé Dejiny, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1996, pp. 455–73. (in czech)
Revolution in the Arts Faculty (in Hungarian, with Tibor Beck). Budapest: 1956 Institute, 1997, 248 pp.
The History of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Struggle for Independence (in Hungarian and English, edited with Attila Szakolczai; program development: Zoltán Lux). Budapest, 1998. Prepared for the Sulinet educational Web programme of the then Ministry of Education and Culture. Accessible on the Institute website (www.rev.hu).
‘The Continuity of the Red Generals’ (in Hungarian, book review of Frigyes Kahler and Sándor M. Kiss: Whose Revolution?). Élet és Irodalom, May 15, 1998, p. 14.
‘A Bad Joke’ (in Hungarian, book review of Károly Péter: 1956 in Baranya). In: Yearbook VI 1998. Budapest: 1956 Institute, 1998, pp. 361–3.
1956—Encyclopaedia of the Hungarian Revolution and Independence Struggle, October 6–December 12, 1956 (in Hungarian, multimedia CD–ROM, edited with András B. Hegedüs and Zoltán Lux). Budapest: 1956 Institute, 1999.
‘Hungarian Tin Soldiers’ (in Hungarian, book review of Imre Okváth: Bastion on the Peace Front. Hungarian Military Force and Military Policy 1945–56). In: Yearbook VII 1999. Budapest: 1956 Institute, 1999, pp. 346–50.
‘Without Any Tradition. The Self-Image of Hungary’s Socialist Towns, 1949–89’ (in Hungarian). In: The School of the Craft. Studies for the 70th Birthday of Vera Bácskai. Edited by Zsombor Bódy and Mónika Mátay, Budapest: Osiris, 2000, pp. 479–99.
‘The Industrial Intelligence Activity of the State Security Organizations in the Big Socialist Factories’ (in Hungarian). Yearbook 2000 VIII. Budapest: 1956 Institute, pp. 58–77.
‘New Model, Old Model?’ (in Hungarian, book review of Restoration or Correction. The Institutionalization of Kádár' s system Repression, 1956–62, edited by Tibor Huszár and János Szabó). In: Yearbook 2000 VIII. Budapest: 1956 Institute, pp. 413–19.
‘Resister in the WC’ (in Hungarian). Népszabadság, August 14, 2000, p. 10.
‘Katalin Tausz: The Old Town. Meditations on the Organization of a Small Town Society (in Hungarian, book review)’). BUKSZ, Autumn 2000, pp. 282–6.
‘Investigate—Preserve—Contemplate—Continue’ (in Hungarian, book review of Yearbook of the Historical Office 1999). Múltunk, No. 4, 2000, pp. 261–7.
‘Research Problems Connected with the History of Hungary’s Socialist Towns from 1945 to 1990’ (in Hungarian). In: Town History, Local History. Theory and Methodology, edited by József Vonyó. Pécs: Janus and Osiris, forthcoming.
‘How the Workers’ Militia Was Born’ (with Gábor Murányi). HVG, February 3, 2001, pp. 73–7.
Tibor Fakász: The 1956 History of Esztergom (specialist adviser). Esztergom: Archives of Komárom-Esztergom County Authority.
Hungary 1944–1956 (edited with Zoltán Lux and János M. Rainer). Budapest: 1956 Institute. In the Middle of Europe—Hungary in the Contemporary Period. 1956 Institute Multimedia CD-ROM series No. 2. 2001.
‘The Scope for and Experience with Using Multimedia in Historical Studies. The History of Hungary 1944–1956 on the Internet and CD–ROM’ (with Zoltán Lux). In: Agria Media. Media Competence in the Democracy of an Information Society. Edited by Klára Tompa. Eger: Károly Eszterházy College of Education, pp. 337–40.
‘Spade, Hoe, Handbell. Civilian Development of the Defence Industry, 1953–5’ (with Gábor Murány). HVG, September 15, 2001, pp. 67–9.
‘The Socialist Industrialization of Hungary 1947–53’. In: Yearbook 9, 2001. Hungary in the Contemporary Period. Edited by Zsuzsanna Kőrösi, Éva Standeisky and János M. Rainer. Budapest: 1956 Institute, 2001, pp. 147–72.
‘Farewell, Professor’. In: Yearbook 9, 2001. Hungary in the Contemporary Period. Edited by Zsuzsanna Kőrösi, Éva Standeisky and János M. Rainer. Budapest: 1956 Institute, 2001, pp. 177–8.
‘Esztergom 1956-os históriája (Fakász Tibor könyvéről)’ [The 1956 history of Esztergom—concerning Tibor Fakász’s book]. Limes, No. 2, 2002, pp. 192–4.
‘Válságkezelési utak a magyarországi szocialista városokban. Szerkezetváltás Tatabányán és Ózdon 1990 és 2000 között’ [Crisis-management courses in Hungary’s ‘socialist’ towns. Structural change in Tatabánya and Ózd in 1990–2000]. In: Évkönyv X. Magyarország a jelenkorban [Yearbook 10. Hungary in the Contemporary Period]. Edited by János M. Rainer and Éva Standeisky. Budapest: 1956 Institute, 2002, pp. 391–417.
‘Válságok és megoldások.’ Sixth International Conference on Urban History. Power, Knowledge and Society in the City’ [Crises and solutions]. In: Évkönyv X. Magyarország a jelenkorban [Yearbook 10. Hungary in the Contemporary Period). Edited by János M. Rainer and Éva Standeisky. Budapest: 1956 Institute, 2002, pp. 475–8.
‘Ipari város, új város, szocialista város’ (Industrial town, new town, socialist town). Korall, 11–12: 239–59, May 2003.
‘A magyar hadiipar a hatvanas évek elején’ (The Hungarian arms industry at the start of the 1960s). In: Rainer, János M., ed., Múlt századi hétköznapok, 90–128.
‘With Tamás Nagy: Az MDP Államvédelmi Bizottsága, Honvédelmi Bizottsága és a Honvédelmi Tanács’ (The Hungarian Workers’ Party State Security and Defence committees and the Defence Council). Múltunk 49:1, 2004, 180–210.
‘Kádár-kommandó. A munkásőrség’ (Kádár’s commandos. The Workers’ Militia) In: Ferenc Halmos, ed., Száz rejtély a magyar kommunizmus történetéből. (A hundred puzzles about the history of Hungarian communism). Budapest: Gesta Könyvkiadó, 2004, 204–5.
‘A haditechnikai termelés és az új gazdasági mechanizmus’ (Arms production and the new economic mechanism). In: János M. Rainer, ed., „Hatvanas évek” Magyarországon. Tanulmányok (The Sixties in Hungary. Studies). Budapest: 1956-os Intézet, 2004, 126–60.
‘Indusztria bűvöletében. Fejlesztéspolitika és a szocialista városok.’ (Under the spell of industry. Development policy and socialist towns). Budapest: 1956-os Intézet, 2004, 240 pp.
‘Germuska Pál: From Commands to Coordination: Defence Industry Co-operation within the Member States of the Warsaw Pact, 1956–1965. Forthcoming in Connections, 2006. Spring issue. (The Quarterly Journal of Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes).
‘Germuska, Pál: Začiatky maďarského exportu vojenskej techniky. Vojenská História, 2006/3. 58–70. p.
‘Hadiipari együttműködés a KGST keretei között, 1956–1965’ (Arms industry cooperation in COMECON, 1956-65). Hadtörténeti Közlemények 2006:1, pp. 54–70.
‘Harcra le! Széncsata, 1946’ (Down and fight! Coal battle 1945). HVG February 18, 2006.
‘Komárom megye’ (Komárom County). In: Szakolczai, Attila, ed., 2006a, pp. 211–56.
‘Komárom megye bányászai az 1956-os forradalomban’ (Komárom County miners in the '56 Revolution). In: Bircher, Erzsébet, and Balázs Schuller, eds, Bányászok és bányászvárosok forradalma, 1956. Tanulmányok az 1956-os forradalom és szabadságharc 50. évfordulója tiszteletére (Miner and mining-town revolution 1956. Studies for the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution and Independence Struggle). Sopron: Központi Bányászati Múzeum Alapítvány, 2206, pp. 73–115.
‘Kutatás-fejlesztés és nyugati licencek a magyar hadiiparban’ (R & D and Western licences in the Hungarian arms industry). Hadtörténeti Közlemények 2007:1
‘Mítoszok, illúziók, igazságok? Diskurzusok a magyar történettudományban 1956-ról’ (Myths, illusions, truths? Discourses on 1956 in Hungarian historical studies). Nyelvünk és Kultúránk 2006:3, pp. 50–54.
Germuska, Pál: From Commands to Coordination: Defense Industry Cooperation within the Member-States of the Warsaw Pact, 1956–1965. In Rush, Robert S.–Epley, William W. (eds.): Multinational Operations, Alliances, and International Military Cooperation. Past and Future. Proceedings of the Fifth Workshop of the Partnership for Peace Consortium’s Military History Working Group, Vienna, Austria 4–8 April 2005. Washington D. C., 2006, Center of Military History United States Army. 101–108. p.
Germuska, Pál: Kontrwywiad w przedsiębiorstwach państwowych na Węgrzech w latach 1950-ych i 1960-ych. In: Kamiński, Łukasz – Waligór, Grzegorz (eds.): Studia i materiały z dziejów opozycji i oporu społecznego. Tom V. Wrocław, 2006. pp. 68–85.
Germuska, Pál: Miti, illusioni, verità? Il dibattito sul ’56 nel storiografia ungherese. In: L’autunno del communismo: riflessioni sulla rivoluzione ungherese del 1956. A cura di Santi Fedele e Pasquale Fornaro. Messina, 2007, Istituto di studi storici Gaetano Salvemini. 69–74. p.
Germuska, Pál. 2007. Military-economic Planning in Socialist Hungary: the General Organisational Department of the National Planning Office, 1948-1971. PERSA Working Paper no. 49. Original version received 15 July 2007. University of Warwick, Department of Economics. URL: http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/persa
Germuska, Pál: The First Conversion Project of the Cold War: The Hungarian Defence Industry in 1953–1955. In Čaplovič, Miloslav–Stanová, Mária–Rakoto, André (eds.): Exiting War: Post Conflict Military Operations. 6th International Conference Military History Working Group. Bratislava 3–7 April 2006. Bratislava–Château de Vincennes, 2007, Vojenskỳ historickỳ ústav–Service Historique de la Défense. 281–289. p.
Kutatás-fejlesztés és nyugati licencek a magyar hadiiparban (Research and development and Western licences in the Hungarian defence industry). Hadtörténeti Közlemények, 2007/1:233-46.
A magyar hadiipar 1956-ban (The Hungarian defence industry in 1956). In: Szabó, A. Ferenc, ed.: Tanulmányok és emlékmozaikok az 56-os forradalomról (Studies and memoir mosaics of the '56 Revolution). Budapest: Zrínyi Miklós Hadtudományi Alapítvány, 2007, 89-113.
Germuska, Pál: Between Theory and Practice: Planning Socialist Cities in Hungary. In: Tom Misa, Mikael Hård (eds.): Urban Machinery: Inside Modern European Cities, 1850–2000. 2008, MIT Press 233–255. p.
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11370
Germuska, Pál: Military-economic Planning in Socialist Hungary. The History of the General Organisational Department of the National Planning Office, 1948–1971. Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 60 No. 5, July 2008, 813–834.
Germuska, Pál: Der Rat für Landesverteidigung und das Komitee für Landesverteidigung in Ungarn von 1952 bis 1980.
http://www.nationaler-verteidigungsrat.de/de/verteidigungsraete_im_warschauer_pakt/ungarn
Germuska, Pál: Eastern Intelligence with Western Components. Development of Radio Reconnaissance Instruments in Socialist Hungary. Zeitschrift für Unternehmensgeschichte, Vol. 53. No. 2. 2008. 177–191.
