In the year 1956, the Hungarian Revolution was a historic event that directly followed a speech delivered by leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev (Britannica Online). The speech was a declaration of war against the oppressors led by Joseph Stalin. Upon encouragement from the newly acquired freedom of criticism and debate, a staggering tide of discontent and unrest in the nation of Hungary resulted in active fighting during October of the same year (Britannica Online). During the first phase of the uprising, the rebel fighters secured victory. Consequently, a multiparty political platform was established and the role of premier was awarded to Imre Nagy (Britannica Online). By November, he claimed that the nation of Hungary stood in a state of neutrality while simultaneously attempting to appeal to the United Nations for necessary support. To halt the rise of the revolution, the Soviet Union responded with an overwhelming invasion; executing the premier for treason just two years later. Still, the revolution proved successful; as Stalin’s methods and beliefs surrounding exploitation and domination never returned (Britannica Online).
Almost no immediate actions were taken by outside nations such as the United States who were made aware of the uprising despite recommendations from the then Secretary of State John Dulles. Officially speaking, the United States priority was to promote independence of nations under tyranny, yet only over a long term (Byrne). Additionally, the Americans realized that there was little that their nation could do without risking an outbreak of global war to support the rebellion. However, the role of the federal government in the Hungarian revolution saw a surprising amount of controversy surrounding it (Byrne). For example, one of the single most advanced weapons in the attempt to win the hearts of citizens living in Eastern Europe was known as Radio Free Europe (RFE); a tool constructed by the Central Intelligence Agency. The controversy exists due to the fact that several broadcasts produced by RFE targeted many of the Hungarian rebels; offering tactical advice to secure victory against the Soviets and leading them to believe that support from the West was imminent (Byrne).
Despite the fact that the revolution did not possess a leader when it initially began, the Hungarians were the first true threat against the power of the Soviets since the forces of the USSR successfully drove away Hitler’s Nazi regime from Russian territory near the end of the Second World War. At first, the revolt was nothing more than a student demonstration; yet this event was able to attract thousands of civilians and convince them to march through the center of Budapest towards the Parliament building (Sandbrook). With loudspeakers mounted on a van, the citizens called out their government in the streets. A student delegation that attempted to broadcast the demands that represented the public upon entering a nearby radio building was detained. Upon observing this abuse, demonstrators waiting outside demanded the release of the delegation. Unfortunately for them, they were executed by firing squad from the State Security Police (Sandbrook). When protestors saw the corpse of one of the students wrapped around in a flag and used as a warning against the crowd, the revolution began in full swing. The uprising spread like wildfire and within an extremely short period of time, the government imploded and collapsed. Countless individuals organized themselves into militia groups and fought against waves of Soviet troops. Communists who supported the Soviet occupation were often imprisoned or executed and any political prisoners who once stood in support of Hungary were released from captivity and subsequently armed with weapons (Sandbrook). Workers’ councils struggled against municipal control on account of the overarching Hungarian Working People’s Party and demanded changes to the political structure of the nation (Sandbrook).
In response to the collapse of the Soviet government, a new political platform declared intentions to leave the Warsaw Pact and re-implement free elections. Near the end of October, the killings had almost ceased completely and a normal environment slowly returned. Soon after the announcement from the Politbro Communist Party of the Soviet Union published that it was willing to negotiate the removal of oppressive forces, they double crossed the citizens and moved in to exterminate the uprising (The United Nations). An immense amount of Soviet insurgents invaded the capital city of Budapest in addition to multiple other regions in the country. Resistance from Hungarian civilians and armed militia continued for an additional week. In total, the casualties on both sides ended in 2,500 dead Hungarians and 700 dead Soviet troops. For those who managed to survive the invasion, some 200,000 fled as refugees (The United Nations). Staggering amounts of denunciations and arrests permeated for several months after the event. For the following 30 years, the nation of Hungary continued to suffer against Soviet tyranny, and it was not until 1989 that the population was able to retrieve archives of the event and bring the facts to light (The United Nations). Although these actions granted superior control for the Soviets over the Eastern Bloc territory, they ultimately led to considerable membership losses and splits for communist parties and Western Marxists.
- Britannica Online. “Hungarian Revolution.” Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., 20 Jan. 2017. Web. 5 May 2017.
- Byrne, Malcolm. “The 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A History in Documents.” The National Security Archive. N.p., 4 Nov. 2002. Web. 5 May 2017.
- Sandbrook, Dominic. “1956: The year that changed the world.” The Guardian. N.p., Oct. 1956. Web. 5 May 2017.
- The United Nations. “United Nations report on the Hungarian uprising 1956.” Libcom. N.p., 10 Jan. 1957. Web. 5 May 2017.
