The+Terror+and+the+Revolts+from+the+1956+Hungarian+Revolutio

The Terror and the revolts from the 1956 Hungrian Revolution By Jennifer B.

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was an instinctive nationwide revolt against the communist Stalinist government of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from the date of 23rd of October until 10th of November 1956. It began as a student demonstration which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building. A student delegation entering the radio building in an attempt to broadcast and show its demands was detained or held. “When the delegation's release was demanded by the demonstrators outside, they were fired upon by the State Security Police (ÁVH) from within the building. The news spread quickly and disorder and violence erupted throughout the capital.” [i] The revolution spread quickly across Hungary and the government fell just as fast. Thousands organized and formed into militias battling the State Security Police ( ÁVH) and Soviet troops. “Pro-Soviet communists and ÁVH members were often executed or imprisoned, as former prisoners were released and armed. Impromptu councils wrested municipal control from the Communist Party, and demanded political changes. The new government formally disbanded the ÁVH, declared its intention to withdraw from the Warsaw pact and pledged to re-establish free elections. By the end of October, fighting had almost stopped and a sense of normality began to return.” [ii] “On 4 November, a large Soviet force invaded Budapest and other regions of the country. Hungarian resistance continued until 10 November. An estimated 2,500 Hungarians died, and 200,000 more fled as refugees. Mass arrests and denunciations continued for months thereafter. By January 1957, the new Soviet-installed government had suppressed all public opposition. These Soviet actions alienated many Western Marxists, yet strengthened Soviet control over Central Europe, cultivating the perception that communism was both irreversible and monolithic. Public discussion about this revolution was suppressed in Hungary for over 30 years, but since the thaw of the 1980s it has been a subject of intense study and debate. At the inauguration of the Third Hungarian  Republic in 1989, 23 October was declared a national holiday.” [iii]

[i] [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Hungarian_Revolution [ii] [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Hungarian_Revolution [iii] [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Hungarian_Revolution