History - Revolution of 1956

Imre Nagy

• reforms: “New Phase”

• increase role of government

• slow forced industrialisation and collectivisation > peasant tax decreased, wages increased

• ban illegal proceedings > no show trials, prisoners released

End of Imre Nagy

• change in Moscow > reforms suspended

• Rákosi > Nagy removed > András Hegedüs PM

End of Rákosi

• Kruschev de-Stalinisation, louder opposition, Petőfi Circle criticism

• Rákosi forced to resign > Ernő Gerő

Before the revolution

• revisionists > reform communists around Nagy

• burial of rehabilitated László Rajk > silent protest

• Union of Working Youth > many left > United Federations of Hungarian Students

Demands of UFHS

• democracy

• human rights

• no plan economy

• increased wages

• national symbols

• withdrawal of Soviet troops

• mutual basis

Eve of the Revolution

• students and teachers gathered

• Budapest University of Technology and Economics

• demands in 16 points

Outbreak

• 23rd October: Bem Square protest, students > joined by workers

• demanded Imre Nagy’s speech > called and asked to be PM > tried to calm crowd

Start of revolution

• Dózsa György Road, Stalin statue > demolish it

• Hungarian Radio > demands public > instead Ernő Gerő speech > anti-revolution

• shot into the crowd

• police didn’t fight them, Soviet tanks unable to restore order

Expansion of Revolution

• demonstrations in bigger towns

• fusillade

• Imre Nagy PM > people wanted fundamental changes

Characteristics of revolution

• no leading body, no pattern

• fire at demonstrators > over 200 dead

• strikes in factories, Revolutionary Committees

Weakening of the communists

• Kádár new party leader

• Imre Nagy speech 28th > no State Protectio Authority, multi-party elections, withdrawal of Red Army

• Hungarian Working People’s Party > Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party

• ceasefire, free press, old parties, show trial victims released

Preparation of Soviet offensive

• seemingly supported Imre Nagy > withdrew from Budapest

• Red Army streghtened, started to prepare ‘Operation Whirlwind’ > Marschall Konyev

Measures of Imre Nagy after the revolution

• announced to leave Warsaw Pact

• Chief Secretary of U.N. to help acknowledge neutrality

• tried to get Security Council to discuss Hungarian matter

Suppression of Revolution

• negotiations > delegation arrested in Soviet military headquarters (Tököl)

• offensive 4th November

• Revolutionary Workers-Peasants’ government of Hungary

• uneven opportunities > revolution put down

After the revolution

• Imre Nagy fled to Yugoslavia

• 200 000 to Western Europe

Retaliations

• 300 executed

• 22 000 imprisioned

• 13 000 interned

• family members stigmatized

• Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter, Miklós Gimes, József Szilágyi executed

• Géza Losonczy died suspiciously