This study, based on Soviet archival documents, examines the implementation of the Soviet decision to invade Hungary (October-November 1956), and the ensuing period of "normalization." I will show that the Soviet army did not always perform…
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This study, based on Soviet archival documents, examines the implementation of the Soviet decision to invade Hungary (October-November 1956), and the ensuing period of "normalization." I will show that the Soviet army did not always perform well during the first intervention (October 23-24), although its performance improved in the second invasion November 4). Even the normalization process proceeded more slowly than the West suspected, due in part to the persistence of small-scale fighting and the passive resistance of the Hungarian population; disagreements between the Kádár and Khrushchev regimes about the pace and scale of arrests and deportations; and the lack of coordination between the Soviet KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in carrying out arrests.
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