The Hungarian Revolution of 1956

1
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956
2
Pre-Revolution
Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby.
3
Hungary 1945 1955

• When industry nationalized, supported by many
  Hungarians (end of the old exploiting classes and
  Nazi armies)
• At first Hungarian economy advanced, right after
  WWII
• the bureaucracy in the USSR pillaged the
  economies of Hungary (Goods bought by the USSR at
  very low prices but Russian goods were sold at
  inflated prices)
• 'Five-Year Plan devoted to heavy industry and
  steelworks in a largely agricultural country with
  no iron ore or coking coal
• Corrupted and mismanaged Hungarian bureaucracy
  worsened the economy decrease in standard
  living
• The economy worsened after a serious of
  bureaucratic blunders such as the oil fields in
  Western Hungary accidentally flooding due to
  rapid rise in production ordered by the head of
  state
• Along with economic blunders, political upheavals
• Imre Nagy outlined 'new course in late June 1953
  which was designed to ease the load on the
  workers and peasants, produce higher living
  standards, end the internment camps and turn the
  economy away from heavy industry liberal p of
  v, popular among people
• In 1953 with the death of Stalin was some signs
  of a "thaw" in the monolithic rule of Moscow and
  its puppets in Budapest
• Rakosi, a hard line Stalinist, retired. Nagy, who
  had a reputation as a "liberalizer" and was
  initially favored in the Kremlin by Khrushchev,
  took over
• Bureaucrats who were denounced later as
  "Titoists" came to the force they were okay
  with one-party dictatorship (totalitarian state)
  but opposed Russian bureaucracy
• It was the fact that these bureaucrats had been
  persecuted by the USSR earlier, for taking an
  anti-Russian stand, that gave them a certain
  credibility with the masses

http//www.af-north.org/other20pamphlets/1956.htm
Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby. http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday
/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2739000/273903
9.stm
4
The Petofi Circle

• When Khrushchev came into power, announced
  de-Stalinization and a change in policy
• Encouraged Eastern European countries to demand
  independence
• But soon, small movements in the direction of
  reform under Nagy proved too much for Moscow
• Khrushchev changed his attitude towards "the new
  course"
• In April 1955 Nagy removed as PM and expelled
  from the party as a "right-wing deviationist"
• Rakosi back in with a clampdown on all the new
  policies
• In February 1956, Khrushchev's speech at the
  20th congress denouncing Stalin's crimes came to
  light, the whole of Hungary began to seethe with
  discussion
• A group of intellectuals, naming themselves the
  Petofi circle began to meet regularly and
  semi-openly
• In the spring of 1956 a squad of secret police
  were sent into the Petofi circle and the active
  element of the Young Communist movement, which
  was also bubbling with debate
• As the dissidents' arguments became more fully
  explained the police spies became more and more
  open to the ideas about reforming the system
  which were being put forward at these meetings
• Then a majority of these spies declared
  themselves agreeing to the circle and declaring
  themselves in solidarity with the ideas put
  forward by the young reformists of the party
• The whole of the Eastern Bloc was awash with
  discontent
• The floodgates had begun to burst even as early
  as 1953 with a massive strike wave and street
  fighting in East Germany which spread to the
  rest of East Europe (even within SU) Russian
  troops were used to crush these people
• The Petofi Circle did not encourage the revolt
  it considered that precipitate actions could lead
  to a catastrophe

http//www.af-north.org/other20pamphlets/1956.htm
Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby. http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday
/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2739000/273903
9.stm
5
1956

• Over the summer of 1956 discussion and opposition
  became widespread in the colleges and in the
  factories

MEFESZ Hungarian Association of University and
College Unions (student organization)
Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby. http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday
/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2739000/273903
9.stm
6
The Sixteen Points

• October 16, MEFESZ formed with program including
  openly political demands. Student meeting held on
  October 22 is viewed as one of the immediate
  precursors to the revolution. The official
  Hungarian Radios refusal to broadcast the points
  - because of their radicalism led to the idea
  of organizing the critical demonstration on
  October 23.
• The students demanded
• withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary
• election by secret ballot of all party members
• new government under Imre Nagy criminal leaders
  of the Stalin-Rakosi era must be immediately
  relieved of their duties
• Rakosi, who is primarily responsible for all
  crimes of the recent past and for Hungarys
  deterioration must be tried by the peoples
  tribunal
• general, impartial, secret elections with
  participation of several parties to elect new
  National Assembly
• revision and readjustment of Hungarian-Soviet and
  Hungarian-Yugoslav relations on a basis of
  complete political and economic equality and of
  the non-interference of the internal affairs of
  one by the other
• reorganization of Hungarian economy
• publication of Hungarys foreign trade contracts
• complete revision of the norms in effect in
  industry and an immediate and radical adjustment
  of salaries that a minimum subsistence wage be
  set for workers
• reorganization of the system of distribution and
  that agricultural products be used in a rational
  manner equality of treatment for individual
  farms
• retrial of all political and economic legal cases
  in an independent court release and
  rehabilitation of innocent
• complete recognition of freedom of opinion and of
  expression, of freedom of the press and of radio
• removal of the statue of Stalin
• to restore the old Hungarian emblems of Kossuth
  new uniforms for Hungarian army which conform to
  national traditions that March 15 and October 6
  be declared national and public holidays
• the students of the Technological University of
  Budapest declare unanimously their solidarity
  with the workers and students of Warsaw and
  Poland in their movement toward national
  independence
• the students of the Technological University of
  Budapest will organize local brances of the
  MEFESZ on October 27, they will convoke at
  Budapest a Youth Parliament at which the whole of
  Hungarian youth will be represented by
  delegations. On the 23rd, students will express
  their solidarity with the Polish freedom movement
  by laying wreaths at Pálffy Square.

Békés, Csaba., Byrne, Malcom., Rainer, János M.
(Ed). (2002) The 1956 Hungarian Revolution A
History in Documents. Budapest Central European
University Press.
7
October 23, 1956 The First Soviet Invasion

• October 23 commenced as rally in Budapest to
  express solidarity with Polish demonstrators
• Student demonstration in Budapest called for
  reforms and the return to power of Nagy
• Gerõ, First Party Secretary, speaks on radio
  denouncing demonstrators as enemies of the people
• The gathering turned into a mass demonstration
  for a similar demand to diminish Soviet control
  in Hungary, and escalated toward violence as the
  people tried to force their way into a radio
  station that was broadcasting the PMs speech.
• Stalin statue pulled down fighting continued
  throughout the night
• The Russian bureaucracy responded to these events
  with panicked measures
• The police were unable to control the crowd,
  thus, Soviet tanks were ordered onto the streets
  to put down revolt however, they were faced with
  such hard Hungarian resistance that the Russians
  began to question their purpose
• some of the Soviet soldiers left their vehicles
  and joined the mass demonstrations while others
  refused to shoot

November 4th, 1956 The Second Soviet Invasion

• The Kremlin began their second assault on the
  revolution Khrushchev sent in the tanks in a
  ruthless crackdown
• Soviet troops launched an attack on Budapest
  Russian tanks, having encircled Budapest, began
  bombardment with shells - Every major city was
  pounded by artillery and then occupied
• The top Soviet officers desperately maneuvered to
  "maintain the morale" of their troops by shooting
  those of their men who displayed any sympathy for
  the Hungarian workers
• Despite this show of strength the bureaucracy
  almost failed to regain control it took fifteen
  divisions
• This second invasion spurred the workers to into
  an even greater struggle, augmenting their
  determination to accomplish their demands for
  reform, as Soviet tanks were attacked by the
  masses
• Their resistance was to no avail
• The Kremlin formed a new all-communist government
  under János Kádár as Nagy and his colleagues
  sought refuge in a Yugoslav Embassy

Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby. http//www.af-north.org/other2
0pamphlets/1956.htm http//www.marxist.com/History
/hungary1956_86.html http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthis
day/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2739000/273
9039.stm
8
Thirteen Days
AVH State Security Force secret police
Hungarian version of KGB
Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby. http//www.marxist.com/History/
hungary1956_86.html http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisd
ay/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2739000/2739
039.stm
9
The Final Days of Revolution
Resistance Continues

• Kadar appealed for the workers to go back to work
  but the strike intensified
• On November 5 he "warned", he "hoped for" and he
  "requested" a return to work. On the 6th and 7th
  he "threatened". But throughout the workers
  remained on strike and more and more Russian
  tanks fell victim to the heroic armed resistance
  of the masses
• Over the next five years, thousands were executed
  or imprisoned under Janos Kadar's puppet regime

Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby http//www.af-north.org/other20
pamphlets/1956.htm http//www.marxist.com/History/
hungary1956_86.html http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisd
ay/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2739000/2739
039.stm
10
Immediate Consequences

• Open resistance continued in isolated pockets
  well into 1957 and even in 1958 and 1959 there
  were strikes and demonstrations as the workers
  attempted to resist the remorselessly tightening
  grip of bureaucratic control
• Nov 4, 1956, Soviet forces assembled the
  Hungarian Revolutionary Worker-Peasant government
  under the leadership of János Kádár
• Initially founded on popular demands presented by
  the people during the course of the Revolution
  which was withdrawal of Soviet troops to decrease
  external influence and to force the government to
  listen to people more
• Kádár promised the nations independence and
  sovereignty through withdrawal of Soviet troops
• Also, the premier showed his willingness to form
  a coalition government with non-communist party
  leaders
• But these ideas vetoed by Stalinist members of
  the government and by Soviet military commanders
  therefore, Soviet troops never withdrew from
  Hungary
• January, 1957, all political parties except
  Communist Party were forbidden
• Workers Councils deprived of power and the
  Uprising declared to have been a
  counter-revolution
• Economic Development 1957
• socialized agriculture modernization and
  improvements to increase food production and
  transformation of agriculture
• Individual enterprises (though controlled by the
  government) allowed a great degree of freedom to
  devise the specifics of their production plans
  no longer required to trade only with
  Socialist-bloc countries (thought there were some
  limitations)
• Exploitative features of Soviet policy were
  removed in favor of a more equitable commodity
  and price structure of foreign trade aids,
  loans, and other assistance forthcoming
• The Russian bureaucracy deliberately decided to
  pump resources into the country frightened by
  the revolution that they wanted to ensure the
  masses were kept more content to avoid a
  repetition
• Increase in national income and rise in living
  standards evident by the end of 1957

Váli, Ference A. (1961) Rift and Revolt in
Hungary. Cambridge Harvard University Press.
http//www.marxist.com/History/hungary1956_86.html
http//www.hungarian-history.hu/lib/revol.htm
11
The Ensuing Years

• In 1957 a new campaign was launched to
  collectivize agriculture
• The state administration was formed and the party
  reorganized
• The government resorted to more harsher measures
  to repress and last resistance eliminated by the
  dissolution of Workers Council
• Internal Consolidation and the economic support
  of the Soviet effectively discourage open
  hostility toward the Kádár government
• May 1957, a treaty (Treaty of Rome) was signed
  with the Soviet which emphasized Soviet military
  presence in Hungary under Hungarian jurisdiction
• Treaty of Rome founded the European Union (then
  the European Communities).
• The political survival of the Communist regime
  depended on the presence of the Soviet army
• June 1958 the leaders of the revolution Imre
  Nagy, Pál Maleter, Joszef Szilagyi, Miklos Gimes,
  Geza Losonczy long prison terms for other
  leaders
• Over the next five years, thousands were executed
  or imprisoned under Janos Kadar's puppet regime
• Soviet troops finally withdrew from Hungary in
  1991

Váli, Ference A. (1961) Rift and Revolt in
Hungary. Cambridge Harvard University
Press. Lomax, Bill. (1976). Hungary 1956. London
Allison and Busby. http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday
/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2739000/273903
9.stm