Poland and Hungarian Uprising Flashcards
In 1956, where did the Polish have uprising, and what was the reaction of Polish Communist Party leaders?
Uprising was held in Poznan, with protests over Soviet refusal to give better pay. Leaders Eduard Ochab and Jozef Cyrankiewicz ordered troops in, and 53 were killed. Without force, historians believe it would have been a ‘powerful wave of social revolt.’
Gomulka, in 1956, reacted to the Polish rising. What did he do? What limited concessions did he give?
Gomulka returned in October. He was patriotic, but he also would use force, and sent in tanks, inspired by the actions of the Red Army. He did allow more independence from Moscow, but only for communists, and revisionist communists weren’t free. Jakub Berman, chief ideologist of the party, said the Catholic Church was chief opposition.
What were results of the Polish rising?
They achieved private enterprise in agriculture, but could not end the command economy, one party rule, and subordination to Moscow. On 19 October, Gomulka convinced Khrushchev he would do his bidding, leading to the withdrawal of tanks.
When was Rakosi replaced? What did the public want, and what did Nagy attempt to establish?
Rakosi enforced Stalinism, purging Titoists. When he was replaced by Erno Gero in July 1956, this led to demands for Nagy, who had failed to issue reforms in 1953. While the Petofi Circle and student demonstrators wanted worker control of factories, Imre Nagy wanted socialism to be established with cooperation with the masses of workers, meaning withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact and democracy. Even Togliatti critiqued counter-revolutionary measures.
What actions did Nagy commit?
30 November - Nagy disbands AVO secret police and creates steps to establish multi-party state with Smallholders, Social Democrats, and National Peasants.
1 Nov - Hungary announces it will be neutral on radio with Nagy, requesting UN recognition.
What was the response to the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, and what were results?
Hardliners, led by Gero, asked for Soviet assistance, and on 4 November, Moscow sent in Red Army tanks. 180,000 left the country, Janos Kadar led the country, and Nagy was found at a Yugoslav Embassy, where he had been hiding, and made to be tried on 16 June 1958, where he was hanged in Budapest.
What did the uprising show about the USSR, but what did Ervin Hollos argue about Hungary?
This showed the USSR would not tolerate the threat to people’s democracies, despite efforts by Nagy and economist Janos Kornai.
Ervin Hollos argued that Hungary, which had been an ally of the Third Reich, had a number of ‘criminal elements,’ and those escaping ‘well-deserved conviction,’ at large.
