Galileo Circle
The Galileo Circle was an atheist-materialist student organization that functioned in Budapest between 1910 and 1919. It was based in Anker Köz.
The circle was founded on November 22, 1908. This was in response to the attacks on Gyula Pikler, a social scientist who had suggested that the nation was a social phenomenon which arose through a social and historical process, rather than an eternal entity. This led to him being attacked by Hungarian christian nationalists. It claimed to be specifically apolitical and declared itself in favour of self-education and science. Endre Ady described the galilesists as the ‘young army of Fever’, dedicating various poems to the Circle. Oszkár Jászi thought the galileists would help lead Hungary from ‘the Balkans into Western Europe’.
The organisation was banned in January, 1918, a period of labour unrest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However following the Aster Revolution in October 1918 it was relaunched. It was finally dissolved on 21 March, shortly following the establishment of the Hungarian Soviet Republic.
The circle published Szabadgondolat.Participants
The participants included:
