Hungary 1956

Question 1

who was the Hungarian leader from 1949 to 1956?

Answer 1

Matyas Rakosi

Question 2

why did the Hungarians feel restricted during 49-56

Answer 2

1. Losing their freedom of speech.
2. Living in fear of secret police.
3. Présence of if thousands of Soviet troops in country.
4. Hungary had to pay for troops in their country

Question 3

What happened in June 1956

Answer 3

a group within the communist party in Hungary opposed Rakosi so he appealed for Krushchevs help.

Question 4

How many opponents did Rakosi want to arrest

Answer 4

400 leading opponents

Question 5

Krushchev ordered Rakosi to be fired for what reason?

Answer 5

‘For health reasons’

Question 6

Was Erno Gero more accepted to the Hungarian people?

Answer 6

No

Question 7

What happened on 23 October

Answer 7

Huge student demonstration when the giant statue of Stalin in Budepest was pulled down.

Question 8

What was the outcome of this? (23 october)

Answer 8

USSR allowed new government to be formed under Imre Nagy.

Question 9

What happened after this new formed government.

Answer 9

Soviet troops and tanks that had been stationed in Hungary since ww2 began to withdraw.

Question 10

What happened after the tanks withdrew.

Answer 10

Hungarians created local councils to replace Soviet power.

Question 11

What happened to soldiers during Hungarian reform

Answer 11

Several thousand Hungarian soldiers defected from the army to the rebel cause. They took weapons with them

Question 12

What were Imre Nagys reforms

Answer 12

Free elections 
create impartial courts
restore farmland to private ownership 
total withdraw of the soviet army 
planned to leave the Warsaw Pact
declare Hungary neutral in cold war

Question 13

What did Hungary hope for the Americans to do?

Answer 13

They hoped Eisenhower would support an indépendant Hungary and arm them if necessary

Question 14

How did the Soviet Union initially respond? (to nagys reforms)

Answer 14

Ready to Accept some of the reforms.

Would not accept leaving the “Warsaw Pact”

Question 15

What happened in November 1956?

Answer 15

Thousands of Soviet troops and tanks moved into Budapest.

Question 16

What followed the USSR troops moving in?

Answer 16

Two weeks of bitter fighting

Question 17

How many Hungarians/Russians were killed? (during the two week fight)

Answer 17

30,000 Hungary

1000 Russians

Question 18

How many Hungarians fled across the boarder

Answer 18

200,000

Question 19

where did the Hungarians flee to

Answer 19

across the boarder to Austria

Question 20

what did the western powers do in response of USSR invasion

Answer 20

Protested but sent no help

Question 21

Why didn’t the Western Powers send help

Answer 21

Preoccupied with a crisis of their own

the Suez crisis in the middle east

Question 22

Who did Krushchev put as leader next after Imre Nagi?

Answer 22

Janos Kadar

Question 23

What did Janos Kadar do?

Answer 23

He crushed all resistance in a couple of months. 35.000 anti communists were arrested.
300 exacuted.

Question 24

Did Kadar introduce reforms?

Answer 24

Yes, he cautiously introduced reforms but not the Warsaw Pact

Question 25

What was the Suez Crisis

Answer 25

The Suez Crisis was when Britain lost control of the Suez Canal. It was a great embarrassment to Britain, and demonstrated that Britain had lost much of its standing in the world.