Complex sentence: Under communist rule, Erdei served as minister of agriculture in 1949--53 and was responsible for the "attic sweepings" and other coercive happenings and atrocities in the villages.
Split into simpler sentences: Under communist rule, Erdei served as minister of agriculture in 1949--53. As such he was responsible for the "attic sweepings" and other coercive happenings and atrocities in the villages.