The Hungarian Uprising Flashcards
Why were people in satellite states unhappy by 1956
-Lack of political freedoms
-Fuel shortages
-Poor harvests
Who replaced the Hungarian Prime Minister Rakosi in 1956
Imre Nagy (Krushchev hoped he would improve things in Hungary)
What did Nagy do
He re-organised the government to include non-communists, released political prisoners and persuaded Krushchev to withdraw Soviet troops from Hungary
What did Nagy announce on 1 November 1956
That he would withdraw Hungary from the Warsaw Pact
What happened during the Hungarian uprising
-Khrushchev would not accept that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact
-On the 4th of November 1956 his Soviet army invaded Hungary- 6,000 tanks rolled into Budapest
-Nagy begged the West for support but none came
-Up to 20,000 Hungarians were killed
-A new pro-communist government was set up under Kadar
-Despite being offered safe passage out of Yugoslavia, Nagy was tried and executed in 1958
How did other countries respond to the Soviets invading Hungary
Although Radio Free Europe, a US-government-funded radio station, had been urging the people of Eastern Europe to rebel against communism, the USA offered no military support. The USA was not prepared to interfere in the affairs of an existing communist country.
What was the impact of the Hungarian Uprising on international relations
-Khrushchev’s position in the Soviet Union was secured
-Warsaw Pact members now knew they had to do what the USSR said
-Khrushchev was more confident dealing with the USA because he knew they wouldn’t take military action
-The West looked bad- they had not offered military support to Hungary
-Relationships between the USA and the USSR got worse again as the USA condemned the Soviet invasion of Hungary
