János Kádár (; 26 May 1912 – 6 July 1989) was a
Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his retirement in 1988. His 32-year term as General Secretary covered most of the period the
People's Republic of Hungary existed. Kádár's regime continued until
Mikhail Gorbachev became
General Secretary. Due to Kádár's age and his declining health, he retired as General Secretary of the party in 1988, and a younger generation consisting mostly of reformers took over.