Hungarian revolution

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  1. The death of Stalin led many Hungarians to hope that Hungary also would be 'de-Stalinised'. In July 1956, the 'Stalinist' Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party, Rakosi, fell from power.

  2. During October 1956, students, workers and soldiers in Hungary attacked the AVH (the secret police) and Russian soldiers, and smashed a statue of Stalin.

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  3. On 24 October 1956 Imre Nagy - a moderate and a westerniser - took over as prime minister.

  4. Nagy asked Khrushchev to move the Russian troops out. Khrushchev agreed and on 28 October 1956, the Russian army pulled out of Budapest.

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  5. For five days, there was freedom in Hungary. The new Hungarian government introduced democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. Cardinal Mindzenty, the leader of the Catholic Church, was freed from prison.

  6. Then, on 3 November 1956, Nagy announced that Hungary was going to leave the Warsaw Pact. However, Khrushchev was not going to allow this. He claimed he had received a letter from Hungarian Communist leaders asking for his help.

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  7. At dawn on 4 November 1956, 1,000 Russian tanks rolled into Budapest. They destroyed the Hungarian army and captured Hungarian Radio the last words broadcast were "Help! Help! Help!".

  8. Hungarian people - even children - fought the Russian troops with machine guns. Some 4,000 Hungarians were killed.

  9. Khrushchev put in Russian supporter, Janos Kadar, as prime minister.

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.

Revision tip and answer preparation

Revision tip

To help you remember this story, write it as a story twice - once, as though you were an angry Hungarian outraged at the turn of events, then once as a Russian, justifying and explaining what happened.

Answer preparation

As part of your revision, think about the arguments and facts you would use to explain:

1. Why there was a revolution in Hungary in 1956.
2. What happened in the Hungarian Revolution.
3. Why the Russians crushed the Hungarian Revolution.
4. How the Hungarian Revolution affected East-West relations.

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