Causes and effects of the Hungarian Revolution

Causes of the Hungarian Revolution

1. Khrushchev's policy of 'de-Stalinisation' caused problems in many Eastern European Communist countries, where people hated the hard-line Stalinist regimes that Russia had put in place. There was also trouble in Poland in 1956, and Khrushchev had to send in Russian troops.
2. The Hungarians were patriotic, and they hated Russian control, especially:
   • The secret police called the AVH in Hungary.
   • Russian control of the economy, which had made Hungary poor.
   • Russian control of what the schools taught.
   • Censorship and lack of freedom.
3. The Hungarians were religious, but the Communist Party had banned religion, and imprisoned Cardinal Mindzenty.
4. Hungarians thought that the United Nations or the new US president, Eisenhower, would help them.

Effects of the Hungarian Revolution

1. Repression in Hungary - thousands of Hungarians were arrested and imprisoned. Some were executed and 200,000 Hungarian refugees fled to Austria.
2. Russia stayed in control behind the Iron Curtain - no other country tried to get rid of Russia troops until Czechoslovakia in 1968.
3. Polarisation of the Cold War - people in the West were horrified - many Communists left the Communist Party - and Western leaders became more determined to contain communism.