Career
After the Soviet occupation of Hungary this cabinet took office officially, in March 1945. Under communist rule, Erdei served as minister of agriculture in 1949-1953 and was responsible for the "attic sweepings" and other coercive happenings and atrocities in the villages. In July 1953 he was appointed minister of justice.
Erdei became a deputy prime minister during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, and as such was one of the leaders of the Hungarian delegation who negotiated abortively with the Soviets.
On 3 November he was arrested together with Minister of Defence Pál Maléter, but after some weeks Erdei was released after an intervention by János Kádár. In 1957 he became secretary-general of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.