The Hungarian Revolt
The Hungarian Revolt
The Hungarian uprising
TexteThe Hungarian uprising
Revolution in Hungary (1956)
ImageIn 1956, Hungarian students climb up the statue of Stalin and demand the democratisation of the country.
Matyas Rakosi, How we took over Hungary
TexteIn February 1952, Matyas Rakosi, Secretary-General of the Workers’ Party and President of the Council in Hungary, outlines the strategy pursued by the Communist forces so that they may seize power in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Soviet armoured vehicles destroyed in the streets of Budapest (1956)
ImageDuring the Hungarian uprising in 1956, a column of Soviet armoured vehicles attacked by Hungarian insurgents is on fire at the intersection of Rákóczi Avenue and Akácfa Street in Budapest. Residents take shelter and run along a burning BTR-152 troop carrier.
Statement by Dwight D. Eisenhower on the Hungarian uprising (25 October 1956)
TexteOn 25 October 1959, the US President, Dwight Eisenhower, strongly condemns the intervention of Soviet troops in Hungary to curb the revolt in Budapest.
Address given by Konrad Adenauer on the Hungarian uprising (Hanover, 26 October 1956)
TexteOn 26 October 1956, in Hanover, the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, gives an address in which he deplores the tragic events in Hungary and denounces Moscow’s policy of repression.
‘After the uprising’ from Le Monde (26 October 1956)
TexteOn 26 October 1956, the French daily newspaper Le Monde draws attention to the power struggles within the Hungarian Government.
‘Eastern Europe on the move’ from Het Parool (26 October 1956)
TexteOn 26 October 1956, the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool summarises the rebellious and anti-establishment movements in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Note by André de Staercke on the situation in Hungary (27 October 1957)
TexteOn 27 October 1957, André de Staercke, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), drafts a confidential note on the political situation in Hungary.
'Unforeseeable developments' from Il nuovo Corriere della Sera (27 October 1956)
TexteOn 27 October 1956, the Italian daily newspaper Il nuovo Corriere della Sera sets out the reasons for the popular uprising in Hungary and expresses concern at the political future of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Declaration by the Soviet Government (Moscow, 30 October 1956)
TexteOn 30 October 1956, the Soviet Government defines the principles underpinning its policies of development and cooperation with the other Socialist States and justifies sending Soviet troops into Hungary to restore order.
Soviet tanks leave Budapest (30 October 1956)
ImageOn 30 October 1956, Soviet tanks leave Budapest, only to return a week later to crush the Hungarian uprising by force.
Cartoon by Behrendt on the Hungarian Uprising (1956)
Image‘This is a purely Hungarian matter’. In November 1956, the international community is powerless to tackle the Soviet military intervention in Hungary.
‘Lessons drawn from a tragedy’ from Avanti (1 November 1956)
TexteOn 1 November 1956, the French newspaper France Observateur prints an article which had been published by Pietro Nenni in the 26 October edition of the Italian newspaper Avanti and which was to create a sensation in Italy.
Verbal note from the Hungarian Foreign Minister (3 November 1956)
TexteOn 3 November 1956, Jean Paul-Boncour, French Ambassador to Budapest, sends the text of a verbal note, which was handed over by the Hungarian Foreign Minister on the night of 2 to 3 November, to Christian Pineau, French Foreign Minister.
Message from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Nicolas Bulganin (4 November 1956)
TexteOn 4 November 1956, the US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, sends a message to Nikolai Bulganin, President of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, calling on the USSR to withdraw its troops from Budapest.
Message from Nikolai Bulganin to Dwight D. Eisenhower (7 November 1956)
TexteOn 7 November 1956, Nikolai Bulganin, President of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, sends a letter to the US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, refuting the US allegations concerning Soviet policy in Hungary.
Resolution 1004 (ES-II) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (4 November 1956)
TexteOn 4 November 1956, the United Nations General Assembly deplores the Soviet military intervention in Hungary. The resolution, adopted by 50 votes, is rejected by Albania, Bulgaria, Byelorussia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union and Ukraine.
Hungarian uprising — headline in the Italian Communist daily newspaper L’Unità (5 November 1956)
ImageOn 5 November 1956, the Italian Communist daily newspaper L’Unità supports the Soviet intervention in Hungary to end the uprising and restore power to the Communist Party.
‘Moscow throttles Hungary’s freedom’ from the Süddeutsche Zeitung (5 November 1956)
TexteOn 5 November 1956, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung describes the intervention of Soviet troops in Budapest during the night.
‘Budapest’s Bloody Sunday’ from the Luxemburger Wort (5 November 1956)
TexteOn 5 November 1956, the Luxembourg daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort deplores both Moscow’s use of force in Hungary and the apathy of the West.
‘Workers’ councils regain control of the situation’ from L’Unità (5 November 1956)
TexteOn 5 November 1956, the Italian Communist daily newspaper L’Unità welcomes the intervention of Soviet military forces in Hungary and highlights the role played by the workers’ councils in crushing the revolt.
Address given by Gaetano Martino (Rome, 6 November 1956)
TexteOn 6 November 1956, in an address to the Italian Parliament, the Foreign Minister Gaetano Martino condemns Soviet military intervention in Hungary and calls on Moscow to abandon its repressive policy.
‘International Communism had to be saved at all costs’ from La Croix (6 November 1956)
TexteOn 6 November 1956, the French newspaper La Croix considers the attitude of the Soviet press since the beginning of the Hungarian uprising. According to Pravda, the Russians were initially surprised by the scale of the revolution, which forced them to make a strategic withdrawal. They made good use of this rest period to prepare for the counter-attack and took advantage of the international situation to deal the final blow to the Hungarian uprising with impunity.
'After Stalin' from Le Monde (6 November 1956)
TexteOn 6 November 1956, the French daily newspaper Le Monde strongly condemns the intervention of Soviet military forces to control the Hungarian uprising and expresses concern at a possible revival of the Cold War between the East and West.
The Hungarian uprising
Account of a journalist on the situation in Hungary (Paris, 2 November 1956)
SonOn his return from Budapest in November 1956, a journalist gives an account of the violence of the battles in the Hungarian capital which took place following an uprising by part of the population and the army against the Communist regime.
Demonstration in Berlin against Soviet intervention in Hungary (RTL November 1956)
SonIn November 1956, the people of West Berlin demonstrate against Soviet intervention in Hungary.
Account by Robert Rothschild: the Soviet intervention in Hungary (Rome, 27 March 1987)
SonAt the conference held in Rome from 25 to 28 March 1987 to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), Robert Rothschild, former Principal Private Secretary to Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Foreign Minister, outlines the circumstances in which Spaak learned of the Soviet military intervention in Hungary in November 1956.
Demonstrations against Soviet intervention in Hungary (Paris and Brussels, 7 November 1956)
VidéoAt times, demonstrations in Western Europe against Soviet intervention in Hungary turn violent. This is the case on 7 November 1956 in Paris when several thousand students ransack and set fire to the headquarters of the French Communist Party (PCF). The clashes leave one person dead and 70 injured. In Brussels, it is students from Louvain University who take to the streets.
Statement by Konrad Adenauer on the political situation in the world (Bonn, 8 November 1956)
TexteOn 8 November 1956, following the events in Hungary, the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, makes a government statement on the political situation in the world.
‘Eastern Europe after the Hungarian uprising’ from the Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant (15 November 1956)
TexteOn 15 November 1956, the Dutch daily newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant analyses the repercussions of the Hungarian uprising on the political leaders and the general public in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Letter from Maurice Dejean to Christian Pineau (Moscow, 16 November 1956)
TexteOn 16 November 1956, Maurice Dejean, French Ambassador to the USSR, sends to Christian Pineau, French Foreign Minster, a letter in which he describes the reactions in Moscow to the support shown by the French and Chinese Communist Parties on the day after the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
Interview with Theodor Oberländer on the issue of refugees (27 November 1956)
TexteOn 27 November 1956, in an interview with the West Berlin radio station RIAS (Radio in the American Sector), Theodor Oberländer, the West German Minister for Refugees, describes the measures introduced by his Government to accommodate the Hungarian refugees fleeing Soviet repression.
Cartoon by Behrendt on Soviet military intervention in Hungary (1956)
ImageIn November 1956, Soviet military intervention in Hungary ensures that ‘law and order are restored once again’; however, it also reveals the true political objectives of the leaders in Moscow.
Statement by the Provisional Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party (8 December 1956)
TexteOn 8 December 1956, the Provisional Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party outlines the background to the events of 23 October and lays down the future tasks incumbent upon the Party.
Cartoon by Opland on the Hungarian Revolt (8 December 1956)
Image‘The only survivor speaks out … “Not today, thank you!”’ In December 1956, Opland, Dutch cartoonist, deplores the impotence of the international community in the face of Soviet intervention in Hungary.
Communiqué on the meeting between representatives of the Communist Parties and of governments (Budapest, 4 January 1957)
TexteFrom 1 to 4 January 1957, representatives of Communist and Workers’ Parties and of the Governments of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and the Soviet Union meet in Budapest to discuss international current affairs as well as the implications of the October 1956 Hungarian Uprising.
Nikita Khrushchev, Khrushchev Remembers
TexteIn his memoirs, Nikita Khrushchev, former First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, reveals his personal view of the 1956 Hungarian uprising and of the Soviet military intervention.
Bruno Kreisky, Memoirs
TexteIn his memoirs, Bruno Kreisky, Secretary in the Federal Chancellery of Austria from 1953 to 1959, discusses the Hungarian uprising and Austria’s role in the events of autumn 1956.