Hungarian Uprising Flashcards
1
Q
What were the causes of the Hungarian Crisis?
A
- Poverty: the Hungarians were poor, yet much of their industrial goods were sent to Russia
- Russian Control: Hungarians were very patriotic, and they hated Russian control which included censorship, the vicious secret police and Russian influence on the school’s curriculum
- Catholic Church: The Hungarians were religious, however Russians didn’t approve and had banned religion
- Help from the West: the Hungarians were hopeful because they had been told that President Eisenhower would send military assistance if needed
- De-stalinaztion: When communists attempted de-stalinization, things got out of control. Rakosi wanted to arrest 400 opponents, but Khrushchev retired him.
2
Q
Describe the events of the crisis
A
- New president Erno Gero was also unsatisfactory. On 23rd October, giant statue of Stalin was pulled down
- Imre Nagy took over as Prime Minister on 24th and asked Khrushchev to remove troops
- 1000s of local councils created to replace Soviet power
- Hungarian soldiers defected
- Decided that the government would hold free elections, create impartial courts and restore farmland to private ownership. They wanted to leave the Warsaw Pact too
3
Q
How did the Soviet Union respond?
A
- Khrushchev was initially ready to accept some of the reforms
- But he DID NOT accept Hungary leaving the Warsaw Pact
- In November 1956, thousands of troops moved into Budapest
- Fought for 2 weeks
- 3000 Hungarians and 1000 Russians were killed. 200 000 fled to Austria
- USA condemned but did not help. Too preoccupied by the Suez Crisis
4
Q
What were the outcomes of the Hungarian Crisis?
A
- Janos Kadar became the leader
- 35 000 activists arrested
- 300 killed
- Introduced some reforms but NOT the central issue which was leaving the Warsaw Pact
