Hungarian Uprising 1956 Flashcards
Cause 1 - Hungarians hated Communist rule.
Communist government was forced upon the Hungarians under the dictatorial leadership of Rakosi. Rakosi was Hungary’s dictator from 1949-56. His regime imprisoned 387,000 and was responsible for more than 2000 deaths. This caused an uprising because…
Cause 2 - Communist rule was seen as attacking Hungarian ways of life.
Hungarians were strongly Christian people, but Communists discouraged religious beliefs and penalized the Catholic church (Its leader, Cardinal Minszenty was imprisoned).
Event 1 - People started to rise up.
23rd October- Students and workers in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, held a demonstration, supported by the new Prime Minister Imre Nagy. By 30th October, Nagy had accepted all rebels demands and asked USSR to remove troops from Hungary.
Event 2 - Political moves away from the USSR
1st November, Nagy announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact and become neutral
4th November, Khrushchev ordered soviet tanks to move into Budapest to put down the uprising”
Consequence 1 - Strict Soviet control re-established
20,000 Hungarians were killed and 150,000 fled abroad. Nagy was replaced with a pro-soviet Janos Kadar.
Consequence 2 - America looked weak and Krushchev emboldened
The USA looked weak for not offering direct help to the Hungarians. America only offered food and medical aid worth $20 million to Hungary and allowed 80,000 refugees to move to the USA. Krushchev felt stronger because he knew the Americans would not intervene with satellite states.
