THE HUNGARIAN UPRISING 1956
WHAT WAS HUNGARY LIKE BETWEEN 1945 AND 1955?
1. Between 1945 and 1956 the communist puppet government in Hungary removed all
opposition and run the country on Soviet lines.
2. The leader Matyas Rakosi was a ruthless pro Stalinist who imprisoned 387,000 and
killed 2,000.
3. Hungarian coal oil and wheat were sent to the USSR,
4. Non communist parties were abolished and Cominform persecuted those who
disagreed
5. Russians controlled the police and government and the army
WHAT WAS THE LEAD UP?
1. In 1953 Stalin died. His successor Nikita Khrushchev criticized Stalin’s cruelty and
his personality cult in his Secret Speech in 1956. Many people in Soviet bloc felt that
things were going to get better.
2. There had been riots in Poland leading to more than 100 deaths and other
disturbances and anti Russian protests across the Warsaw Pact.
3. Wladislaw Gomulka became the new leader of the Polish Communist Party.
Khrushchev didn’t like this but allowed him to take power as long as he promised
that Poland would remain a member of the Warsaw Pact and was Communist.
WHAT HAPPENED IN HUNGARY?
1. In October 1956 fighting broke out in Budapest between Hungarians and Soviet
troops. On 24th October Imre Nagy, a well known liberal, became prime minister of
Hungary. This led to fighting between Hungarian and Soviet troops. Khrushchev tried
to deal with the situation by withdrawing the Soviet troops from Hungary
2. Nagy set up a new government, which included non-communists, and then on 30th
October announced free Western Style elections and, on 2nd November, Hungary’s
withdrew from the Warsaw Pact. They also asked the USA for protection from
Russia
3. Khrushchev was worried that if he gave in to Hungary the Warsaw Pact would fall
apart and the USSR would be left without allies
4. On 4 November Khrushchev ordered 200,000 Soviet troops to invade Hungary and
crush the uprising. There was bitter street fighting; 7,000 Soviet troops and 20,000
Hungarians were killed and 200,000 Hungarians fled to Austria.
5. Nagy was arrested and later hanged. Khrushchev said that “this would be a lesson to
the leaders of all socialist governments”.
WHAT DID THE WEST DO?
Eisenhower did send £20 million of food and medicine and praised Nagy but he did not send
troops or put pressure on the USSR.
WHY DID THE WEST NOT DO MORE?
1. It was not a breach of the Truman Doctrine as they only applied to non communist
countries threatened by communism.
2. It would have been very difficult to get troops there and the Soviet soldiers were
already there.
3. It was accepted that Hungary was part of the Soviet Unions sphere of influence.
4. The West was distracted by the Suez crisis.
5. The West was not prepared to risk war – nuclear or otherwise.
WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES?
1. It was bad for Hungary at the time
2. The new Hungarian leader was called Janos Kadar. He re-established communist
control. He stopped the violence and negotiated the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
Hungary rejoined the Warsaw Pact. The Hungarians fell into line – they had little
choice.
3. The rest of the Warsaw Pact took notice and there were no more uprisings.
4. It showed that the West was not prepared to intervene in the Soviet Sphere of
influence. This calmed Soviet fears and relations may have improved.