From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Hungarian Revolution of 1956
or
Hungarian Uprising of 1956
(
Hungarian
:
1956-os forradalom
or
felkeles
) was a
spontaneous
nationwide
revolt
. It was against the government of the
Hungarian People's Republic
and its
Soviet
-imposed policies. It lasted from 23 October until 10 November 1956. It was the first major threat to Soviet
control
since the USSR's forces drove out the
Nazis
at the end of
World War II
and took over
Eastern Europe
.
[1]
Despite the
failure
of the
uprising
, it was highly
influential
. It played a
role
in the fall of the Soviet Union
decades
later.
[2]
At the end of World War II Hungary was
liberated
from the Nazis. It was occupied by the Soviet Union’s
Red Army
.
[3]
Hungary's communists were led by
General Secretary
Matyas Rakosi
and backed by
Joseph Stalin
. The communists destroyed all
political
opposition
. In 1949 Hungary
officially
became the People’s Republic of Hungary.
[3]
Rakosi was an
oppressive
ruler. He exiled,
imprisoned
or killed over 300,000 Hungarians.
[3]
After Stalin died, the soviet communists replaced Rakosi with Imre Nagy. They thought his softer approach would win them popularity. But the
Kremlin
decided he had become too popular.
[3]
Rakosi was returned to power in April 1955. His
secret police
, the AVO, carried out Rakosi's oppressive orders again.
[3]
Eventually, the Hungarian people got tired of their bad living standards and protested.
When the revolt broke out in October 1956, the Hungarian revolt was very sudden.
[4]
Nobody had any idea it would sweep the
country
and break out everywhere all at once. However, there were warning signs that trouble was coming.
[4]
The
Communist Party
in Hungary had lost much of its authority and respect. In July of 1956 Rakosi was removed again as leader of the party.
[4]
He was sent back to the Soviet Union.
2,500 Hungarians died
[5]
and thousands were imprisoned. Hundreds of Soviet troops died. 200,000 fled Hungary.
[5]
Communists in the
Western Bloc
argued about the
Soviet Union
intervening to stop the uprising.
- ↑
Paul Lendvai,
One Day That Shook the Communist World: The 1956 Hungarian Uprising and Its Legacy
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008), p. 3
- ↑
Ben Cosgrove (23 October 2014).
"Hungary in Revolt, 1956: The First Rip in the Iron Curtain"
.
The World Post
. Retrieved
20 January
2014
.
- ↑
3.0
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
"1956 OCTOBER 23 ? "THERE ARE NO SMALL NATIONS"
"
. Hungary Today. 23 October 2014. Archived from
the original
on 19 March 2015
. Retrieved
20 January
2015
.
- ↑
4.0
4.1
4.2
Paul Kecskemeti,
The Unexpected Revolution: Social Forces in the Hungarian Uprising
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1961), p. 1,
Questia
[
permanent dead link
]
- ↑
5.0
5.1
"Soviets put a brutal end to Hungarian revolution"
.
HISTORY
. Retrieved
2021-09-15
.