The Hungarian Uprising, 1956
Notes:
- First major uprising by a satellite state to remove Soviet influence
- Hungarian leader Imre Nagy announced he was pulling out of the Warsaw Pact
- Soviets entered the capital, Budapest with tanks and armed forces
- 30,000 Hungarians killed, 200,000 fled the country for the west
- Soviets installed a new leader Janos Kadar who agreed to follow the Soviet line (stayed for 20 years)
- People questioned why US did not help
SUMMARY :
First attempt at breaking free from communism. Hungary tests the communist force by trying to shed it completely. Soviets enter capital in Budapest and kill around 30,000 people.Many people flee to other countries such as Canada and the US. Hungary does not achieve democracy until the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Quotes:
"Historians and politicians usually give the name of spontaneous insurrection to a movement of the masses united by a common hostility against the old regime, but not having a clear aim, deliberated methods of struggle, or leadership, consciously showing the way to victory"
Subjunctive questions:
Was the revolution worth the lives of 30,000 citizens? If so how can the revolution still be justified?