Hungarian Uprising, 1956

What was the Hungarian Uprising?

The Hungarian people demonstrated against communist rule. Prime Minister Imre Nagy ended one-party rule and announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact.

When did the Hungarian Uprising happen?

The uprising in Hungary happened between July and October, 1956.

Why did the Hungarian Uprising happen?

There were 4 main causes of the Hungarian Uprising:

• ❖ Since 1949 the USSR had taken industrial and agricultural goods away from Hungary, and as a result Hungary was very poor.
• ❖ Hungary's Prime Minister, Matyas Rakosi, was a hard-line communist and had crushed all political opposition in Hungary.
• ❖ Khrushchev, the new leader of the USSR, gave a secret speech in 1956 in which he criticised Stalin's brutality. Consequently, Hungarians hoped for more freedom.
• ❖ Living standards had fallen and people were suffering.

What happened during the Hungarian Uprising?

There were 4 key events during the Hungarian Uprising:

• ❖ In July 1956, people began to protest about the repressive nature of the government and low standards of living.
• ❖ Rakosi was replaced by Gero as prime minister in the hope protests would decrease.
• ❖ In October 1956 there were huge protests by students and workers demanding more freedom which turned into riots.
• ❖ On 24th October, Nagy was appointed prime minister. He was more liberal and brought in reforms.

What reforms did Nagy want to introduce during the Hungarian Uprising?

Nagy announced 5 key reforms, including:

• ❖ Relaxing censorship.
• ❖ Allowing free elections.
• ❖ Allowing non-communists into the government.
• ❖ A proposal for Hungary to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact.
• ❖ The release of political prisoners, including Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty who had been imprisoned by Rakosi.

Why did the USSR invade Hungary during the Hungarian Uprising?

The USSR invaded Hungary because of Nagy's reforms and specifically because Nagy proposed that Hungary withdraw from the Warsaw Pact.

What happened as a consequence of the Hungarian Uprising?

There were 9 important consequences of the Hungarian Uprising:

• ❖ On 4th November, 1956, Khrushchev and the politburo ordered Soviet forces to invade Hungary with 200,000 troops to remove Nagy and crush the uprising.
• ❖ Between 20,000 and 30,000 Hungarians were killed.
• ❖ 1,000 Soviet troops died.
• ❖ 200,000 Hungarians became refugees.
• ❖ Nagy's government was deported and Nagy was executed.
• ❖ Nagy was replaced by Janos Kadar and a new pro-Communist government, loyal to the USSR, was set up.
• ❖ All Nagy's reforms were reversed.
• ❖ This was used as a warning to other dissenting (protesting) countries in eastern Europe.
• ❖ It increased tension between the West and the East.

What was the response of the West to the Hungarian Uprising?

The West responded in 4 key ways:

• ❖ The United Nations condemned the Soviet actions.
• ❖ Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland boycotted the 1956 Olympics.
• ❖ America accepted 80,000 refugees from Hungary.
• ❖ The USA could not send troops to help Hungary because the Warsaw Pact would see it as an invasion and war would break out.

What did the new government do after the Hungarian Uprising?

The new Hungarian government, under Janos Kadar, remained under Soviet control and reacted in 3 key ways:

• ❖ It stamped out remaining resistance. 35,000 Hungarian protesters were arrested and 300 executed.
• ❖ A few reforms demanded by the Hungarians were introduced, cautiously.
• ❖ Kadar remained firmly in favour of Hungary's membership of the Warsaw Pact.

What was the importance of the Hungarian Uprising?

The Hungarian Uprising was important because it affected the relationship between the USA and the USSR in 3 key ways:

• ❖ The USA supported the uprising but could not interfere, so it now looked weak.
• ❖ Khrushchev's position was strengthened as a result.
• ❖ The relationship between the USSR and the USA deteriorated because the USA had condemned the USSR's actions, increasing tension between them.