The Hungarian Uprising Flashcards
Who was the dictator of Hungary between 1949 and 1956?
Matyas Rakosi
How did Rakosi describe himself?
As ‘Stalin’s best pupil’
How was Rakosi described by the people of Hungary?
‘The bald butcher’ - for his brutality
How many people were imprisoned under Rakosi between 1949 and 1956?
387,000 people
How many people were killed by Rakosi’s regime between 1949 and 1956?
2,000 people
Which key Cold War figure died in 1953?
Josef Stalin
Who was Stalin succeeded by?
Nikita Khrushchev
What did Khrushchev do in 1956?
Made a ‘secret speech’ promising to end the brutal oppression of Stalinism (around 20 million people had been killed under Stalin)
Did Khrushchev’s speech remain secret?
Categorically not. It was heard far and wide.
What happened when people in Hungary heard about ‘de-Stalinisation’ in Khrushchev’s ‘secret speech’?
The people of Budapest (the capital of Hungary) took to the streets, protesting against Rakosi’s brutal rule and Communist control of radio, newspapers, schools, factories etc.
What did Rakosi do when people in Budapest began rioting?
Rakosi fled the city.
Which more liberal communist replaced Rakosi?
Imre Nagy
When Imre Nagy became PM in 1956, what did he promise?
Imre Nagy promised the Hungarian people the freedoms they were asking for. AND Khrushchev (initially) agreed.
What key thing Nagy declare Hungary would do?
Nagy declared that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact
Why was Nagy’s declaration that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact too much for Khrushchev to take?
Khrushchev worried that if Hungary left the Warsaw Pact, it would set an example to other communist countries who would also leave. This would greatly weaken the power of the Soviet Union.
What did Khrushchev do on 4 November 1956 in response to Nagy’s declaration that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact?
Khruschev ordered the invasion of Hungary. He sent over 200,000 Soviet troops and 2,500 tanks.
What did the Hungarian people do in response to the Soviet invasion of Hungary?
They fought back - bitterly - but were easily overpowered by the Soviet troops.
How many people died in the Soviet invasion?
2000 Soviet troops
4000 Hungarians
How many Hungarians fled the country?
200,000
What happened to Imre Nagy after the Soviet Union took back control in Hungary in late 1956?
Imre Nagy was arrested and then hanged in 1958.
Which pro-Soviet leader was appointed to replace Imre Nagy
Janos Kadar
Why did the USA not intervene to help Hungary?
- The Suez Crisis was raging elsewhere, which preoccupied the attention of Britain, France and the USA
- The USA did not want to get involved in a conflict taking place in the USSR’s ‘sphere of influence’
What did the Hungarian Uprising do to international relations?
- It was not that significant to relations between the USA and USSR, as the USA had basically no involvement
- It did however, make relations WORSE between some Eastern Bloc countries and the USSR. The Soviet satellite states saw that any attempt at reform could be met with a ruthless invasion
How did the West view the Hungarian Uprising?
They saw Khrushchev’s recent messages of ‘de-Stalinisation’ as a complete sham.
