1956

. . . On October 23, 1956, a mass demonstration by students developed into an all-out national uprising in which the people of Hungary systematically demolished the Communist regime and set up a free and democratic government with Imre Nagy as premier. the Communist Party collapsed, the political police had to flee for their lives, democratic institutions grew up over-night and at the cost of much bloodshed by virtually unarmed freedom fighters, the Russian occupation forces were from Budapest and all the major cities. the new government declared the neutrality of the country and asked for United Nations protection.

The United Nations, however, were preoccupied with an international crisis involving the Suez Canal and offered Hungary no more than a token gesture of support. At the same time, the United States and other western powers made it clear to the Soviet Union that they still considered Hungary as part of the Soviet sphere and would not intervene. Encouraged by this, the new Soviet dictator, Nikita Khrushchev, ordered the Red Army to invade Hungary and on November 4, 1956, five thousand Russian tanks and huge infantry forces went on the attack. the unequal struggle lasted several weeks but eventually the Hungarian freedom fighters were subdued. Even after the fighting had ceased, a general strike by workers continued and it was only at the end of the year that a semblance of ‘order’ was restored.

The Soviet authorities now appointed János Kádár, a former ‘national Communist’ turned Russian collaborator, as premier of Hungary and First Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party. … Kádár set up special courts to deal swiftly with the freedom fighters (whom he termed ‘counterrevolutionaries’) and at least 2,000 young Hungarians (exact numbers were not available at the time of this writing), many of them mere teenagers, were executed and over 20,000 persons were imprisoned, including prominent writers and intellectuals. Imre Nagy who had sought refuge at the Yugoslav Embassy, was extradited in due course and executed with other revolutionary leaders. Retribution was also carried into wider spheres and nearly half the practicing lawyers in Budapest were disbarred and many other professionals and public servants lost their jobs.