The Hungarian Revolution, 1956
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About this ebook
Sixty years ago, the people of Hungary stood up to Soviet tyranny. In Budapest and throughout the nation, civilians demanded freedom from Soviet oppression and their country's communist government. It was one of the defining moments of the Cold War.
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 constituted the most serious threat to the USSR’s hegemony throughout the Cold War years. It is a story of extraordinary bravery in a fight for autonomy against a ruthless superpower.
Rupert Colley, founder of the bestselling ‘History In An Hour’ series, recounts the years leading up to the days of October 1956, from the post-First World War years, the Second World War and Nazi Germany’s occupation of Hungary, to the post-war Stalinist years. He recounts the days of the Hungarian Uprising from its heroic beginnings to its tragic end; and finishes with an account of the immediate post-revolution years and the subsequent downfall of communism in Hungary in 1989.
Illustrated with over 30 contemporary photographs, The Hungarian Revolution, 1956 provides a perfect introduction to one of the momentous occasions in 20th century history.
Rupert Colley
Rupert Colley was a librarian in Enfield for 22 years until September 2011. A history graduate, he launched the original History In An Hour in 2009 with a website, blog and ‘World War Two In An Hour’ as an iPhone app. He then expanded it to Kindle, iBooks and into the USA with a series of titles, and enlisted new writers by encouraging guest bloggers on the website. History In An Hour was acquired by HarperCollins in 2011.
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The Hungarian Revolution, 1956 - Rupert Colley
‘October 23, 1956, is a day that will live forever in the annals of free men and nations. It was a day of courage, conscience and triumph. No other day since history began has shown more clearly the eternal unquenchability of man’s desire to be free, whatever the odds against success, whatever the sacrifice required.’
John F. Kennedy
Introduction
On 22 October 1956, a large group of students gathered in a Budapest university hall and, after much discussion, drew-up a 16-point manifesto. Amongst other demands, they called for freedom of speech and freedom of expression; they called for open, multi-party elections and the removal of Soviet troops from Hungarian soil. It was, in the context of the time, an incredibly brave and daring undertaking. The following day, they posted-up copies of their manifesto on trees and lampposts across the city before starting out on a march. Thousands joined the procession, gathering in front of the parliament building, shouting their demands. Without really having planned it, the students of Budapest had unleashed an uprising that quickly spread across the capital and the whole country.
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 constituted the most serious threat to Soviet hegemony throughout the Cold War years. It was ultimately unsuccessful. Anger and the justice of the cause can only take you so far when faced with the might of a professional, organised army.
But 33 years’ later, with the memories of the uprising still fresh in the mind, it spurred-on those who sought once again to end communist rule in Hungary. One by one, the communist regimes fell throughout Eastern Europe during 1989, including Hungary’s. Finally, after 40 years of totalitarian rule, Hungary was free.
Hungary, 1914 to 1919
Hungary had been part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the ‘Dual Monarchy’, since 1867, ruled by the House of Habsburg, in the person of Franz Joseph. The empire consisted of several nationalities, who, on occasions, sought greater autonomy. The empire resisted all such calls – for fear even the smallest of concessions would only lead to demands for more. Indeed, in the Hungarian half of the empire, its rulers enforced a policy of ‘Magyarization’, an attempt to make its people more ‘Hungarian’. Amongst the many nationalities causing the empire difficulty were the Serbs of Bosnia who wished to be incorporated into the nation of Serbia. On 28 June 1914, in Sarajevo, a Bosnian Serb called Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand. The assassination proved to be the spark that rapidly led to war.
File:Emperor Francis Joseph.jpgFranz Joseph, c1905.
Franz Joseph died, aged 86, on 21 November 1916. He was succeeded by his grand-nephew, Charles, who became Charles I of Austria and Charles IV of Hungary, the last emperor of Austria and the last king of Hungary.
The war was going badly for the Austro-Hungarians. On 7 December 1917, the United States declared war on Austria-Hungary and in June 1918, it lost to Italy in the Battle of Piave.
On 31 October, socialist Mihály Károlyi, with the support of the Hungarian army, staged a coup in Budapest and took power in what became known as the ‘Aster Revolution’, on account of the aster flowers they wore in their hats. The coup caused the collapse of the Habsburg Empire. Charles IV bowed to the inevitable and the ‘Hungarian Democratic Republic’ was proclaimed on 16 November 1918 with Károlyi its president.
On 11 November, the Western Front armistice came into effect. The First World War was over.
A year before, in November 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by the charismatic Vladimir Lenin, had seized power in Russia. In Hungary, a left-wing soldier fighting in the Austro-Hungarian army, named Bela Kun, was taken prisoner by the Russians. While in captivity, inspired by the Bolshevik revolution, Kun became a dedicated communist. On release, he met Lenin, learnt Russian and fought for the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War (1917 – 1922). In late 1918, armed with Russian money, supplies and men, Kun returned to Budapest and founded the Hungarian Communist Party.
Meanwhile, Károlyi’s government was struggling. Severe inflation, mass unemployment and food shortages undermined his authority and resulted in widespread protests, much of which was organised by Kun’s communists, although Kun himself had been imprisoned. On 21 March 1919, after