Transition 1948-1953 1956-1973







From Stalin's Death to the Soviet Invasion, 1953-1956


Stalin had died on 1953. In the same year, demonstrations in East Berlin (GDR) had gotten out of hand and Soviet forces had to intervene. Fearing a similar situation might develop in Hungary, the Soviets had MATYAS RAKOSI come to Moscow, asked him to resign as prime minister, an office which was bestowed to moderate communist IMRE NAGY.
Imre Nagy publicly announced the end of state terror and announced a NEW COURSE, of SOCIALIST LEGALITY. The internment camps were abolished, prominent victims of Stalinist terror rehabilitated, civil rights were respected.
The new policy was successful, and public approval of Imre Nagy increased; he gained the image of an honest man, he was personified with the new course. There was a sentiment of relief, having overcome 5 traumatic years of Stalinist state terror, a sentiment which quickly changed into confidence; communist politicians were publicly criticized for their actions during the years of terror. The successes of Hungary's soccer team, the first non-British team to defeat England at Wembley (1953) and the favourite to win the World Cup of 1954 (they lost in the final to Germany 2-3) may have contributed to that confidence.
Yet Rakosi was still party chief, and in 1955 he orchestrated popular prime minister Imre Nagy to be ousted. Nagy was even accused of conspiracy and his party membership cancelled.
On October 23rd, a student demonstration in Budapest got out of control; the students called for Imre Nagy to be reappointed prime minister. The secret police (AVO) was unable to deal with the situation; the army took the sides of the demonstrators. The Communist Party leadership was at a loss regarding how to act; the revolution had no clear leadership, as a number of committees appeared but none seeming to be in control. The mob opened prisons, releasing political prisoners such as Cardinal Mindszenty. Only after a number of days did Imre Nagy form a coalition government including non-communists.
With the Soviet army operating and a number of communist leaders having left Budapest, Imre Nagy undertook bold steps such as declaring that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact and declare political neutrality.

The 1956 revolution lasted only for 13 days, before it was put down by the Red Army. Prominent leaders such as Imre Nagy and General PAL MALETER were executed, JANOS KADAR appointed new prime minister and party secretary general. The number of Hungarians fleeing west is estimated as several 100,000.





EXTERNAL
LINKS 		The People's Republic, from Hungary : A Short History by C.A. Macartney (1962)
Almost half a century - my lifetime, from Hungary - A Brief History, by Istvan Lazar, 1989/1993
Review of Uprising ! One Nation's Nightmare : Hungary 1956, by David Irving, in Journal of Historical Review, full of details, critical of US stand in the affair
Janos M. Rainer, The Yeltsin Dossier: Soviet Documents on Hungary, 1956, from CWIHP
Janos M. Rainer, "The Road to Budapest, 1956: New Documentation on the Kremlin's Decision to Intervene," The Hungarian Quarterly, Volume XXXVII No. 142 Summer 1996, from Cold War Page at Mt.Holyoke
House of Terror, Museum (prison were political prisoners were tortured 1944-1956
DOCUMENTS Hungarian Statesmen, from World Statesmen (B. Cahoon)
Historical Population Statistics : Hungary, from Population Statistics (J. Lahmeyer)
Communist emblem of Hungary, pieced together after it was torn down at the Olympic Village by Hungarians, Nov. 12th 1956, from Herald & Weekly Times, Melbourne
Images from Chronik 2000 Bilddatenbank :
Oct. 29th 1956, Soviet troops enter Budapest
Oct. 29th 1956, Barricade with tram turned over, Budapest
Oct. 29th 1956, Soviet tanks parade in Budapest
Working Notes from the Session of the CPSU CC Presidium on 21 October 1956, from National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 14 titled : Did NATO Win the Cold War?
Simon Bourgin, "The Well of Discontent: A Senior American Correspondent's Briefings on Budapest, 1956, The Hungarian Quarterly, Volume XXXVII No. 142 Summer 1996, from Cold War Page at Mt.Holyoke
National Security Council : US Policy toward development in Poland and Hungary, from National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 14 titled : Did NATO Win the Cold War?
Gyorgy Litvan, "1957 - The Year After: A Memoir," The Hungarian Quarterly, Volume XXXVII No. 143 Autumn 1996, from Cold War Page at Mt.Holyoke
Reform to Revolution. Detailed Interview Given by Gyorgy Heltai to an American Journalist, dated 12th December 1956 and Submitted to the UN Special Committee on the Question of Hungary, from The Hungarian Quarterly
Hungarian banknotes 1930ff, from Ron Wise's World Paper Money and from Currency Museum
Time Magazine : Hungarian Freedom Fighters, man of the year 1956
Estimates of the Death Toll due to Communist Repression, 1948-1989, posted by Matthew White, scroll down for Hungary
REFERENCE Peter F. Sugar (ed.), A History of Hungary, Indiana Univ. Press 1990, 432 pp.
Richard Lettis and William I. Morris, Hungarian Revolt, October 23 - November 4, 1956, from Historical Text Archive, Online Book
Article : Hungary, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1954 pp.343-344, 1955 p.393, 1956 pp.334-335, 1957 pp.394-397 [G]
Article : Hungary, in : Americana Annual 1957 pp.359-363 (on events of 1956) [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on March 15th 2007

Click here to go Home
Click here to go to Information about KMLA, WHKMLA, the author and webmaster
Click here to go to Statistics