The Impact of the Hungarian Revolution and Soviet Intervention
The Hungarian Revolution: A Challenge to Soviet Control
- Inspired by Poland
- The Hungarian uprising was influenced by the success of Poland in negotiating reforms with the Soviet Union.
- Student Protests
- On October 23, 1956, Hungarian students demanded:
- Civil rights
- Withdrawal of Soviet troops
- Return of Imre Nagy as leader
- On October 23, 1956, Hungarian students demanded:
- Escalation to Revolution
- The protests quickly turned into a full-scale revolution, with Soviet tanks being attacked and government buildings seized.
Imre Nagy was a reform-minded communist who initially sought to moderate the uprising but later supported democratic reforms and neutrality.
Soviet Response: Crushing the Uprising
- Initial Withdrawal
- The Soviets briefly withdrew their tanks, hoping to calm the situation.
- Increased Demands
- The Hungarians then demanded:
- Multi-party democracy
- Withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact
- The Hungarians then demanded:
- Soviet Intervention
