Hungarian Uprising 1956 (oct 23, 1956 – nov 11, 1956)

Description:

THE HUNGARIAN UPRISING 1956
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context:
- Rakosi becomes leader of Hungary under the Hungarian Working people’s Party in 1947 (until 1956)

Under Rakosi:
- No freedom of the press/speech
- Secret Police (AVH) intimidated/jailed/killed opposition
- Many Soviet troops is Hungary
- Ordered Russian to be taught in schools and shop names to appear russian
- Hungarians were taxed to pay for the Soviet troops occupying the country
- Show trials and purges of members of the party
- Memberrs of the Cathoolic party emprisonned
- Industry focused on heavy goods rather than consumer ones => low standard of living
- Workers income fell by 18% between 49 and 53
-Many moved to thee city => overcrowding etc
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1956-HUNGARIAN UPRISING :

=> Communist Party members started to oppose Rakosi

=> Rakosi asked help from the USSR to arrest 400 leading opponents

=> USSR refuses (cheh) => Krushev orders Rakosi to come to Moskow (en mode petite balade sympatoche) => forced to retire for « health reasons » (une balade sympatoche avec un peu d'intimidation ça fait tjrs plaiz) => Erno Gero appointed new head of gov

=> But this new guy didn’t please the ppl => 22 October : huge meeting of students/workers, and many demonstrations the following day in Budapest (thousands of ppl ! => destroyed a large statue of Stalin)

====> They had 16 demands ; including :
- Freedom from Soviet domination

- Removal ov Soviet troops and officials from the country

- Return of Imre Nagy to power

- An end to the secret police

- Democratic, multiparty elections and a free press

- others
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Violence escalated when secret police shot at students protesting => Hungarian troops and police ended up joining the protestors => intense street battles between them n the secret police => was a completely spontaneous revolt, no real leaders !
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SOVIET RESPONSE : 24 OCTOBER

- Krushev was scared of a domino effect in Eastern Euope that would bring down the entire communist bloc (especially after the recent events iin Poland => had a revolt too)

- Gero requested help from the Soviet Army and the Soviet embassador Yuri Andropov (future head of the KGB and later on Soviet Union)

- 30 000 Soviet troops and hundreds of tanks sent to restore order

- Nagy reappointed PM to introduce reforms to placate demonstrators
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STREET BATTLES AND HOPES FOR REFORM : 25-30 OCTOBER

- Demonstrators+police+Hungarian soldiers formed revolutionary committees to fight the Soviets => attacked tanks with Molotov cocktails, destroying many

- Nagy in a difficult position, as Soviets wanted limited reforms but protesters full democratization

- Promised wide range reforms, amnesty for the fighters, democratic future

- Organized a ceasefire by the end of 28 of October

- By the time of 30 October (when soviets withdrew) => 350 dead Hungarians, and 600 dead Soviet soldiers => this emboldened the revolutionaries as it made them believe that they had « defeated » the Soviets.

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At the same time è SUEZ CRISIS : 29 OCTOBER
=> focus of the UN n world on this and not on the hungarian uprising
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NAGY’s PROGRAMME : 30 OCTOBER :

He finally decided to side with the revolutionaries and announced a radical reform programme ; such as : free elections, impartial courts, restauration of private ownership of farmlands, total soviet withdrawal from Hungary, removal of the ban on other political parties, abolition of the secret police, opening the border with Austria
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AMERICAN RESPONSE :
Nagy counted on the US pres. Eisenhower to support him => hopes raised when John Foster Dulles (US secretary of state) made a speech congratulating Hungarians for challenging the soviet union) => promised US aid => but in reality did nothing because didn’t want any military confrontation with the soviets as Hungary was in their "sphere of influence" already and already communist.
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SOVIET RESPONSE :
Krushchov consulted the members of the Warsaw Pact on what to do+ asked for their support for military action. Nagi asked the UN for help but it was focused on the Suez canal.

=> SOVIET INVASION THE 3 NOVEMBER
=> 150 000 Soviet soldiers ; 4000 tanks previously deployed in Hungary as part of the Warsaw Pact seized airports, arrested gov officials, and began to advance toward Budapest.

DEFEAT ON 4 NOVEMBER => Soviet troops, led by Marshal Zhukov (Hero of Eastern Front in WW2) attacked the capital to crush the revolt, and after fierce fighting on the streets, ended by taking the capital. Nagi was arrested and later executed in 58.

Janos Kadar was appointed as head of the new communist gov. : many trials/arrests took plce, until 63. This new introduced minor reforms to living standarts and working conditions but no real political change.

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