The Hungarian Revolution

1
The Hungarian Revolution
Contents
1. Before October 3
2. October 23
rd
6
3. Thirteen days in Budapest
!. ". and in the country 12
#. The $or%ers Councils 1!
6. The &ilitary defeat of the revolution 16
'. $or%ers councils lead the resistance 1
. The revolution defeated 21
(. )urther Reading 22
*eterloo *ress *a&phlet +1
*ublished by the ,narchist )ederation -.anchester/
B. ,narfed0 1ondon $C12 333
4&ail5 &anchester6af7north.org
$eb5 888.af7north.org
,ugust 299(
Originally published by :corcher *ublications in the 1(9s as 2o.1 in a series of Council
Co&&unist *a&phlets.
2
The Hungarian Revolution
1956: the Hungarian Revolution
Before October....
;<t=s all a load of shit0 that=s 8hat it is>;
1

This accurate description of Hungarian socialis& in
the early =fifties ca&e fro& a 8or%er in prison0 overheard by a Co&&unist intellectual
loc%ed up during a purge. This rare contact 8ith a 8or%er0 and even rarer contact 8ith 8hat
8or%ers thought of the =8or%ers= state= helped this particular intellectual to lose his ;faith in
.ar?is&;. ,s the saying 8ent about prisons in Hungary0 ;$e are a three7class society 7
those 8ho have been there0 those 8ho a?e there0 and those 8ho are heading there.; The
large nu&ber of 8or%ers in prison0 either for political offences or for theft0 sho8ed up the
syste&5 even <&re 2agy0 the 8atered7do8n :talinist entrusted by .osco8 in 1(#3 to
liberalise Hungary -that is0 to hold the 8or%ers in chec%/ had to ad&it by @ece&ber 1(##
that ;the &ost alar&ing fact is that the &aAority of those convicted are industrial 8or%ers;.
2
Theft 8as a necessity for 8or%ers to co&pensate for socialist living standards. These had
dropped by 1'729B in the years 1(!(7#3 as a result of an idiotic =)ive7Cear *lanD devoted
to heavy industry and steel8or%s in a largely agricultural country 8ith no iron ore or co%ing
coal.
3
:i&ilarly0 the i&position of co7operatives on un8illing peasants led to a fall in their
&eagre inco&es0 and 1(#2 sa8 the 8orst ever yields in Hungarian agriculture. Official
statistics revealed that 8hile 1#B of the population 8as above the =&ini&u&E standard of
living0 39B 8ere on it and ##B belo8. , day=s pay for a state far& 8or%er 8ouldn=t buy a
%ilo of breadF in 1#B of 8or%ing7class fa&ilies not everyone had a blan%etF one in every
five 8or%ers had no 8inter coat.
!
1 Bill 1o&a?5 The $or%ing Class in the Hungarian Revolution of 1(#6 in =CritiGue=
2o 120 ,utu&n 1('(H$<nter 1(90 *p 2'7#! -referred to as CritiGue fro& no8 on/.
The Guote is ta%en fro& one of the intervie8s of the Colu&bia Iniversity
Research *roAect on Hungary. The intervie8s are 8idely used in &any of the
boo%s on the revolution5 all unattributed Guotes fro& no8 on co&e fro& the&. To
list the& all 8ould be tedious and ta%e too &uch spaceE
2 Guoted in CritiGue p33.
3 .olnar0 pp1(72(.
! CritiGue0 p33.
3
The Hungarian Revolution
<n these conditions0 thieving fro& the state and =beating the syste&= 8ere the things to do
to survive. 2o &oral stig&a attached to the& at all0 rather0 everyone 8as at it to relieve
their poverty. *ilfering and spontaneous sabotage 8ent together 8ith high labour turnover
-often as local &anage&ents got rid of =trouble&a%ers=/0 8aste in factories0 futile planning
and falsified output figures to &eet ridiculous production targets. $or%ers had to do unpaid
overti&e to =celebrate= anniversaries that the *arty of Hungarian $or%ers -.@*/
designated as great occasions. Ho&e businesses thrived on &aterials ta%en fro& 8or%F
copper 8as stolen fro& shipyardsF a buyer at a Budapest hospital co&plained ;2o8adays
even nailing it do8n is no guarantee against theft;. <n the state stores0 staff 8ould cheat
custo&ers and sell short 8eight0 e?cept to relatives and friends. Butter 8as rarely seen in
shops as it 8as pre7pac%ed and 8eighed0 it offered no scope for fiddling0 and so 8asn=t
ordered &uch by shops.
$or%ers and peasants 8ent beyond theft0 absenteeis& and 8hat the .@* leadership li%ed
to call =laJiness= and =8age7s8indling=. The third banner in the official procession on .ay
@ay 1(#3 proclai&ed ;Klory to the i&&ortal :talin0 star 8hich guides us to8ards freedo&0
socialis& and peace;. :even 8ee%s later the 8or%ers of 4ast Berlin rioted for their vision of
freedo& and 8ere Guic%ly put do8n by Russian tan%s. 290999 8or%ers 8ent on stri%e at the
Ra%osi iron and steel 8or%s in Budapest=s Csepel district against lo8 pay0 production
nor&s and food shortages. There 8ere 8ildcat stri%es in @iosgyor0 and &ass peasant
de&onstrations in the countryside. To avoid further outbrea%s0 Russia ordered a change of
leadership and a. change of policy.
.atyas Ra%osi0 8ho styled hi&self ;:talin=s Hungarian disciple; but 8as &ore popularly
referred to as =arsehole= by Hungarian 8or%ers0 8as reGuired to &a%e 8ay for <&re 2agy0
8ho had &anaged not to be involved in the purges and generalised terror of the late
=forties. His =ne8 courseE outlined in late Lune 1(#3 8as designed to ease the load on the
8or%ers and peasants0 produce higher living standards0 end the intern&ent ca&ps and
turn the econo&y a8ay fro& heavy industry. Because he 8as opposed by the hard7line
:talinists around Ra%osi and Brno Cero0 2agy is presented by so&e as popular and liberal.
<n fact he 8as &uch li%e the rest. ,fter :talin=s death0 he tal%ed of hi& as the ;great leader
of all hu&anity;F the 8hole :talinist era 8as a period of ;trial and error;. <n late 1(#! 2agy
felt able to say ;$e have created a ne8 country0 and a happy and free life for the people;F
&ean8hile Ra%osi and Kero argued that 8or%ers= living standards 8ere too high.
,lthough 2agy &ay have felt that the re&oval of so&e of :talinis&=s 8orst features
constituted a =free life=0 his =liberalis&= 8as &et by even &ore absenteeis&0 indiscipline and
slac%ing by 8or%ers. , typical 2agy speech fro& that period sho8s 8hy. ;The production
results of the third Guarter sho8 that0 if the labour drive to &ar% these elections is carried
out 8ith the sa&e enthusias& and vigour as the revolutionary shift that 8as 8or%ed in
honour of the Kreat :ocialist October Revolution0 and if &anage&ent and 8or%ers can get
the sa&e i&prove&ent in 8or%er discipline 7 in 8hich there are still grave deficiencies 7 as
in production0 then .,M,K 8ill be able to ta%e its place a&ongst the ran%s of the elite
plants.;
#
2o a&ount of apologetics can cover up the straightfor8ard capitalist content of
# Guoted in @avid <rving5 Iprising.=0 Hodder N :toughton 1(10 p1!9. <n general a
boo% to be 8ary of0 <rving being every bit as hostile to the 8or%ing class as he is to
official Co&&unis&5 he is the historian 8ho =proved= Hitler 8as =innocent=.
!
The Hungarian Revolution
such a speech.
$or%ers= cynicis& spread outside the 8or%place5 in 1(#! there 8ere three days of rioting
after the $orld Cup final defeat by $est Ker&any in the belief that the ga&e had been
thro8n for hard currency. Ka&es of any %ind against Russia 8ere rarely 8ithout trouble.
The .@* sent intellectuals and 8riters out into the country at large during 1(#3 to e?plain
2agy=s =ne8 course=5 for &ost it 8as a first sight of the &iserable conditions of the peasants
and 8or%ers. They soon found out that the =toiling &asses= had little ti&e for the 1iterary
KaJette or for =building socialis&=. , young Co&&unist co&&ented ;The 8or%ers hated the
regi&e to such an e?tent that by 1(#3 they 8ere ready to destroy it and everything that
8ent 8ith it.;
$or%ers e?pressed this the&selves5 ;The 8or%ers did not believe in anything the
co&&unists pro&ised the&0 because the co&&unists had cheated their pro&ises so
often.; , 8or%er fro& the Red :tar Tractor factory5 ;Inder Co&&unis&0 8e should have a
share in governing Hungary0 but instead 8e=re the poorest people in the country. $e=re Aust
regarded as factory fodder.; ,nother 8or%er5 ;The Co&&unists nationalised all the
factories and si&ilar enterprises0 proclai&ing the slogan0 =The factory is yours 7 you 8or%
for yourself.= 4?actly the opposite of this 8as true.;
,&ong the students the peasants= and 8or%ers= sons 8ere &ost prepared to spea% their
&inds. They 8ere &ore insolent than the &iddle7class ones. They 8ere also less li%ely to
engage in abstract ideological discussions but stuc% to concrete issues 7 li%e food
shortages. @isillusion and anti7co&&unis& 8ere 8idespread a&ongst Hungarian youth.
;$e spo%e less about political subAects0 but if 8e did0 8e 8ere cursing the Russians0 that
8as &ost of the ti&e 8hat it a&ounted to.; ;$e 8ere the first generation that 8as not
scared. ,fter all 8e had nothing to lose and 8e also had the feeling that 8e couldn=t bear
this for an entire life.;
@iscontent and 8or%ers= opposition thus e?isted long before 1(#6. Ho8ever0 the ,&erican
assess&ent in @ece&ber 1(#3 by an ar&y attachO 8as that ;There are no organised
resistance groups in HungaryF the population does not no80 nor 8ill they in the future0 have
the capacity to resist actively the present regi&eF;. $ith a si&ilar attitude0 the Russian
leader Prushchev thought that if he=d had ten Hungarian 8riters shot at the right &o&ent0
nothing 8ould have happened. , 8ee% before the revolt a reader=s letter to the 1iterary
KaJette co&plained about the uselessness of the intellectuals= debates5 ;The 8or%ing
class is0 and 8ill re&ain0 politically passive for good0 and uninterested in such hair7
splitting...and 8ithout the& 8hat good can 8e doQ;
6
Ho8ever0 a Cugoslavian political
analyst 8as &ore perceptive0 co&&enting nine days before the uprising0 ;*eople refuse to
live in the old 8ay0 nor can the leadership govern in the old 8ay. Conditions have been
created for an uprising.; The ,MH -=,lla&vedel&i HatosagD0 :tate :ecurity )orce/ sensed
trouble toot they and the Russian troops garrisoned in Hungary 8ere put on alert five days
before October 23rd.
.uch has been &ade of the dissatisfaction of Co&&unist 8riters and intellectuals and their
supposed leading role in the revolution. The intellectuals= progra&&e 8as only a criticis&
6 Guoted in *erenc )eher N ,gnes Heller5 Hungary 1(#6 Revisited0 Keorge ,llen N
In8in 1(3.
#
The Hungarian Revolution
of :talinis&. Their R*etofi Circle= debating club 8anted orderly refor& and a change in the
leadership -because the :talinists Ra%osi and Kero had returned to po8er replacing Bagy0
no8 out of public life altogether/. The *etofi Circle did not encourage the revolt5 it
considered that precipitate actions could lead to a catastrophe. They 8ere seen by 8or%ers
as Co&&unists and supporters of the regi&e. 2agy beca&e a focus for this %ind of
=opposition=0 8hich favoured 8or%ing through .@* channels0 and 8as certainly against
de&onstrations. .ost of these people ca&e out against the uprising5 t8o such Aournalists
thought that the cro8ds behaved ;li%e idiots; on October 23rd. One 8riter though0 Kyula
Hay0 8as honest enough to see 8ho 8as stirring up 8ho5 ;< a& perfectly 8illing to accept
that it 8as not < 8ho a8o%e the spirit of freedo& in youth5 on the contrary0 it 8as youth 8ho
pushed &e to8ards it.; $or%ers started to ta%e an interest in 8hat the 8riters 8ere getting
up to in &id7:epte&ber 1(#60 8hen a &eeting of the $riters= Inion sa8 the :talinists
defeated in elections. , 1iterary KaJette account of that &eeting sold '90999 copies in half
an hour. :uch a rebuff to the authorities 8as bound to be of interest no8.
The occasion of the reburial of a rehabilitated Co&&unist0 1asJlo RaA%0 a victi& of an
earlier purge0 8as used by 8or%ers to de&onstrate en &asse. :o&e 2990999 attended in
the rain on October 6th5 an observer co&&ented ;perhaps if it had not rained0 there 8ould
have been a revolution that day0; There had been no difference bet8een RaA% and Ra%osi
politically0 personal rivalry resulting in RaA%=s trial and e?ecution as a =Titoist fascist=. The
8or%ers= =support= for RaA%=s rehabilitation 8as purely sy&bolic5 on the other side of the
coin0 a top Co&&unist said that ;if RaA% could have seen this &ob he 8ould have turned
&achine guns on to the&.; The sa&e day 27399 students &arched a8ay after the burial
using the slogan0 ; $e 8on=t stop half8ay0 :talinis& &ust be destroyed; @espite shouting
this0 the students 8eren=t stopped by the police0 8ho assu&ed that any %ind of
de&onstration &ust be an official one.
October 23rd
<t 8as the students 8ho 8ere responsible for the event that spar%ed off the inevitable. On
October 16th students in :Jeged had bro%en a8ay fro& the official organisation and set up
a ne8 association. They sent delegates country8ide to encourage si&ilar brea%s. By the
22nd there 8ere si&ilar groups in &ost of the universities and large schools. 2e8s had
reached Budapest of events in *oland0 8here the :oviet ar&y had encircled $arsa8 as
the *olish Co&&unist *arty changed its leadership under pressure fro& belo8. , &eeting
at the *olytechnic in Budapest resolved to &arch on the 23rd in support of si?teen
de&ands. These included support for the *olish struggle for freedo&F the re&oval of
:oviet troopsF the election of .@* officialsF a ne8 govern&ent under <&re 2agyF a general
electionF ;the co&plete reorganisation of Hungary=s econo&ic life under the direction of
specialists;F the right to stri%eF the ;co&plete revision of the nor&s in effect in industry and
an i&&ediate and radical adAust&ent of salaries in accordance 8ith the Aust reGuire&ents
of 8or%ers and intellectual;F and a free press and radio.
'
This &i?ed bag of de&ands could not even have begun to be &et by the regi&e 7 therein
lay its e?plosive potential. Cet underlying the de&ands 8as the all7too7co&&on illusion that
8hat had been &is&anaged by =bad= leaders could be rectified by =good= leaders elected to
replace the&. The ele&ent of naivety 8as co&pounded by the 8ay the students as%ed
' .olnar0 pp197(0 .eray pp60'7.
6
The Hungarian Revolution
8or%ers for support but not for the& to stri%eF they 8anted a silent &arch only. The <nterior
.inistry banned the &arch0 8hich &ade &ore people resolve to go. The ban 8as lifted
after the &arch 8ent ahead any8ay. ,lthough the &arch started silently as the students
8ished0 it beca&e &ore &ilitant as 8or%ers off the &orning shift Aoined in after ! o=cloc%.
The early slogans of support for the *oles 8ere overta%en by shouts for freedo& and
;Russians go ho&e.=; :o&eone cut the co&&unist sy&bol out of a national flag and the
flag of the revolution &ade its first appearance 7 red0 8hite and green 8ith a hole in the
&iddle. .ore people left 8or% to Aoin a de&onstration that they 8eren=t forced to ta%e part
inF soldiers 8ere sy&pathetic and Aoined in too.
By dus% there 8ere 2990999 people -about one7si?th of the 8hole population of Budapest/
in *arlia&ent :Guare. The authorities turned off the lights0 8hereupon ne8spapers and
govern&ent leaflets 8ere set alight. The cro8d de&anded that <&re 2agy spea% to the&0
but by the ti&e he turned up the &ood had gone beyond listening cal&ly to speeches.
,ppalled by the sight of so &any people and by the flags 8ith holes0 2agy &ade the
&ista%e of starting 8ith the 8ord =Co&rades>D This 8as greeted 8ith boos and shouts of
;$e=re no longer co&rades>; The people had already reAected the 8hole H@*0 not Aust the
:talinists the =oppositionists= 8ere too &oderate. The disappoint&ent 8ith 2agy turned into
positive tal% of a stri%e0 and a cro8d of youths &arched to the Radio building.
,t o=cloc% there 8as an official broadcast by 4rno Kero in 8hich he said5 ;$e conde&n
those 8ho see% to instil in our youth the poison of chauvinis& and to ta%e advantage of the
de&ocratic liberties that our state guarantees to the 8or%ers to organise a nationalist
de&onstration..;

This did nothing to cal& the situation. The cro8d outside the Radio
de&anded access0 8ith &icrophones in the street ;so that the people can e?press their
opinions.; , delegation 8as ta%en in by the ,MH to the Radio boss0 .rs Ben%e5 she
chec%ed their <@ cards and found they 8ere 8or%ers fro& the long &achinery plant and an
ar&s factory. :i&ilarly0 Popacsi0 the Budapest police chief0 Guestioned so&e youths pic%ed
up on the de&onstration and discovered they 8ere factory 8or%ers0 so&e 8ith *arty cards.
$hen the delegation failed to reappear0 the Radio building 8as attac%ed and defended5 at
about ( o=cloc% the first shots 8ere fired 8ith &any dead and 8ounded. The cro8d had got
8eapons fro& sy&pathetic police and soldiers before the ,MH=s first shots0 and as the
ne8s spread0 8or%ers fro& the arsenals brought &ore. The revolution had no8 started in
earnest. ,n observer felt that ;it 8as at :talin=s statue that the 8or%ers of Budapest
appeared on the scene.; $hen the cro8d had trouble getting it do8n0 t8o 8or%ers fetched
o?y7acetylene gear to cut it do8n. The boots re&ained on the plinth0 8ith a road sign
saying =Bead 4nd= stuc% on the&. Hungarian troops 8ere greeted as friends and allies by
the cro8dsF 8or%ers 8ere arriving fro& Csepel in lorries 8ith a&&unition. ,r&s factories
8ere raided and the telephone e?change ta%en.
The authorities called on the sappers in a nearby barrac%s0 and told the& that fascists had
risen against the govern&ent. The sappers 8ere &et by 8or%ers 8ho told the& the truth.
.ore sappers arrived to defend the H@)=s Central Co&&ittee HS. $hen they sa80 for the
first ti&e0 the lu?ury of the acco&&odation there0 and realised that the cro8ds 8ere
ordinary Hungarians0 they 8ent bac% to their barrac%s0 changed out of unifor& and elected
a revolutionary council. By &idnight =spectators= 8ere leaving the scene and the ar&ed
.olnar0 p1!!
'
The Hungarian Revolution
8or%ers of Csepel and IApest 8ere ta%ing their place. The battle for the Radio building
8ent on all night5 it 8as finally ta%en at nine in the &orning.
The &ass0 revolutionary character of the Hungarian uprising ;8as established 8ithin hours.
;The Hungarian uprising 8as the personal e?perience of &illions of &en and 8o&en0 and
therefore of no one in particular0 Aust li%e the *aris Co&&une or other &ass revolts.;
(
The
casualty lists in the hospitals sho8ed that it 8as young 8or%ers in particular 8ho did &ost
of the fighting. , doctor co&&ented> ;There 8as any nu&ber of youngsters a&ongst the
fighters 8ho %ne8 nothing about the *etofi Circle or 8ho for that &atter hadn=t even heard
of it0 to 8ho& Ko&ul%a=s na&e 8as eGually un%no8n0 and 8ho replied to the Guestion as
to 8hy they had ris%ed their lives in the fighting 8ith such ans8ers as0 =$ell0 is it really
8orth living for 699 forints a &onthQ; , student noticed the sa&e thing5 ;<t is touching that it
8as the hooligans of )erencvaros 8ho created ethics out of nothing during the revolution.;
The participants %ne8 8hy they 8ere fighting5 ;$e 8anted freedo& and not a good
co&fortable life. 4ven though 8e &ight lac% bread and other necessities of life0 8e 8anted
freedo&. $e0 the young people0 8ere particularly ha&pered because 8e 8ere brought up
a&idst lies. $e continually had to lie.; The character of the uprising 8as distinctive in that it
had a clear direction 8ithout a =leadership=. The Inited 2ations Co&&ittee investigating it
8as told by a Hungarian professor of philosophy0 ;<t 8as uniGue in history that the
Hungarian revolution had no leaders. <t 8as not organisedF it 8as not centrally directed.
The 8ill for freedo& 8as the &oving force in every action.; The sa&e point is 8ell &ade by
t8o fighters5 ;There 8as no organisation 8hatsoever0 conseGuently there 8as no discipline
either0 but there 8as astonishingly good tea&8or%.; ;:o&e people got together0 fought0
8ent ho&e0 then others ca&e and continued the fight.;
The first tas%s of the rebels involved seiJing the telephone e?changes0 reGuisitioning
lorries0 attac%ing garages0 barrac%s and arsenals0 getting ar&s and a&&unition above all
else. Then barricades and &olotov coc%tails 8ere &ade to face the :oviet tan%s that
entered Budapest shortly after four in the &orning of the 2!th. Russian troops had &oved
into action before the Hungarian authorities0 in e&ergency &eetings all night0 called for
their =fraternal= assistance. :o&e =barricades 8ere &ade of paving stones ripped up by
hand by 8o&en and children. The rebels too% up positions in narro8 streets and
passages. Those in the Corvin *assage &ade their stand by a convenient petrol pu&p. ,s
da8n bro%e0 8or%ers in Calvin :Guare confronted five tan%s 8ithout running a8ay. *ublic
support 8as i&&ediate0 8ith ar&ed rebels having no trouble getting food and shelter.
:oldiers0 8hen not ta%ing part in the fighting the&selves0 handed ar&s over to the rebels.
Thirteen day in Buda!et....
)irst reactions to events 8ere starting to co&e out. The :talinists called the revolt ;a fascist
counter7revolutionary action.; The =&oderate= Co&&unists 8anted 2agy0 but both 8anted
order restored0 by Russian troops if necessary. The 8riters= role 8as over already0 their
de&ands surpassed. The students too 8ere having second thoughts about 8hat they had
spar%ed off. Mery fe8 people 8ent to 8or% on the 2!th. ,t !.39 a& an official
announce&ent banned all de&onstrations and referred to ;fascist and reactionary
ele&ents;. Lust after o=cloc%0 2agy 8as declared *ri&e .inister5 fifteen hours earlier the
appoint&ent &ight have had so&e effect but fro& no8 on the authorities = &oves 8ere 8ay
behind the developing events. Half an hour later 2agy sho8ed 8hat =liberal=0 =&oderate=

The Hungarian Revolution

Co&&unis& 8as about5 he declared &artial la8 8ith the death penalty for carrying arras0
and his govern&ent called in the :oviet troops. ,fter this0 his progra&&e 8as of little
interest to the rebels.
The intervention by the :oviet troops no8 gave the revolt a national character. The attitude
of sy&pathetic neutrality that the Hungarian ar&y had ta%en in .the first fe8 hours 8as no8
replaced by and large by one of active support for the rebellion. :oviet tan%s 8ere being
i&&obilised by the fighting youth0 8ho0 though poorly ar&ed0 8ere using the partisan
techniGues dru&&ed into the& at school in praise of the :oviet resistance to the Ker&an
ar&ies in $orld $ar T8o. This 8as a rare case of Hungarians eager to learn fro& Russian
e?a&ple. ,nti7tan% tactics included loosening the cobblestones0 then soaping the road0 or
pouring oil over it. 1iGuid soap 8as used in .oricJ Tsiground :Guare. <n :Jena :Guare
bales of sil% ta%en fro& a *arty shop 8ere spread out and covered 8ith oil. The :oviet
tan%s couldn=t &ove on this and beca&e sitting targets for petrol bo&bs. Coungsters 8ould
run up and s&ear Aa& over the driver=s 8indo8F so&e rebels ble8 the&selves up
%no8ingly getting close enough to a tan% to destroy it.
, thirteen year old girl 8as seen ta%ing on a '# ton tan% 8ith three bottle bo&bs. ,
Miennese reporter at the Pilian Barrac%s &et another 13 year old 8ho had defended a
street crossing alone 8ith a &achine7gun for three days and nights. ;The Russians found
the&selves faced by hordes of death7defying youngsters5 students0 apprentices and even
schoolchildren 8ho did not care 8hether they lived or died.; , :8iss reporter0 seeing
children fighting and dying0 8rote5 ;<f ever the ti&e co&es to co&&e&orate the heroes in
Hungary0 they &ustn=t forget to raise a &onu&ent to the In%no8n Hungarian Child.; ,
che&ical engineer sa8 so&e children 8ith e&pty bottles. Re told the& to use nitro7glycerin
rather than petrol0 so they all 8ent to their school laboratory 8here he helped the& to
synthesiJe enough nitro7glycerin to &a%e a hundred bottle bo&bs. Then he 8ent ho&e
and left the& to it. T8elve year olds learnt ho8 to handle guns5 older &en instructed rebels
in the use of grenades and ho8 to attac% tan%s.
,n air force officer typed out copies of guerilla tactics. .any of the carefully selected and
supposedly politically indoctrinated officer corps 8ent over to the rebels. Officers of the
*etofi and Trinyi .ilitary ,cade&ies0 the future elite0 fought the Russians. ,fter the
rebellion the ar&y 8as reorganised 8ith &any officers and cadets got rid of. The police
8ere generally sy&pathetic. Only the ,MH fought alongside the Russians. The ,MH
-referred to by 8or%ers as =the Blues= or =the ,MOs=0 the na&e they had before 1(!(/ had
so&e 3#0999 &en and 8o&en0 the latter being reputedly the 8orse torturers. Their
&ini&u& pay 8as over three ti&es that of a 8or%er0 plus bonuses. They had their o8n
subsidised stores and a holiday village by 1a%e Balaton. .any Hungarians had
e?perienced =esengofraJ=0 na&ely =bell7fever=0 a &idnight call by the ,MH. 2o8 it 8as the
turn of the ,MOs to be hunted. ;The security forces 8ere capable of terrorisation in ti&es
of peace0 or of firing on an unar&ed cro8d0 but i&potent in the face of a people=s uprising.;
The ,MH 8as abolished on the afternoon of October 2(th0 to be resurrected after the
Russian invasion. :ince the 21st0 t8o days before the uprising0 the ,MH had been
destroying its files. 2either of these things saved individual ,MOs fro& lynchings5 such
%illings 8ere generally carried out in a purposeful and so&bre &anner. $ithout any doubt0
the ,MH %illed &any &ore people over the years than the cro8ds &anaged to %ill of the&.
(
The Hungarian Revolution
@espite this and the ,MH=s continued brutality during the revolution0 &ost insurgents
conde&ned the lynchings. <n the 8or% of creating a ne8 society0 such i&itations of the old
8ere un8elco&e. Ho8ever0 no one 8as sorry for the dead ,MOs5 as a Hungarian told a
*olish reporter ;Believe &e0 8e are not sadists0 but 8e cannot bring ourselves to regret
those %ind of people.;
(
<n the streets bodies of ,MOs lay or hung 8ith the &oney found in
their poc%ets either stuffed in their &ouths or pinned to their chests. 4ven in poverty0 no
self7respecting Hungarian 8ould touch it. ,fter the rebellion 8as crushed0 the Hungarian
authorities the&selves put the total nu&ber of security force &e&bers %illed as 23! 7 a
re&ar%ably lo8 figure in the circu&stances.
The cro8ds got on 8ith re&oving sy&bols of the old regi&e5 red stars 8ere torn do8n. ,t
the offices of :Jabad 2ep0 the .@* ne8spaper0 Aournalists thre8 do8n leaflets of support
for the revolt out of the 8indo8s5 people tore the& up and burnt the& 8ithout reading the&
7after all their years of lying0 no one 8as going to believe the& no8. The *arty boo%shop
and the :oviet =HoriJont= boo%shop 8ere ransac%ed and the 8or%s of .ar?0 4ngels0 1enin
and :talin piled up and set alight. , general stri%e spread over the country0 a &ove 8hich
left the .@* e&barrassed. :o often it had praised the stri%es of $estern 8or%ers0 no8
Hungarian 8or%ers 8ere doing the sa&e 7 but this ti&e against the&. )ighting 8as fierce in
*arlia&ent :Guare and at the *arty HS after ,MH units fired on largely unar&ed cro8ds.
Blac% flags &ade their first appearances to &ourn fallen rebels. Radio Budapest0 still in the
hands of the authorities0 threatened5 ;<f the destructions and assassinations continue0 the
football &atch bet8een Hungary and :8eden0 scheduled for :unday0 8ill have to be
cancelled.;
19
This radio station 8as no8 only listened to for laughs0 as its state&ents bore
no relation to observable reality. The fighting groups continued to for& throughout the city.
The ar&ed group holding :Jena :Guare held open de&ocratic &eetings to discuss
strategy and tactics.
On the 2#th the Kovern&ent urged a return to 8or% in its radio broadcasts. This call 8as
ignored0 but as it i&plied an end to the curfe8 -8hich had also been 8idely ignored
any8ay/ &any thousands &ore too% to the streets to find out 8hat 8as going on and to
discuss events5 going to 8or% 8as the last thing on &ost people=s &inds0 2agy=s reshuffles
of his &inisters0 his =concessions= and announce&ents 8ere increasingly irrelevant and
al8ays too slo8 and too late to satisfy the rebels. The people in the streets didn=t give a
da&n that Keorgy 1u%acs0 a darling of leftist acade&ics0 8as no8 in the cabinet. On the
26th 1u%acs said in a radio broadcast that ;8hat 8e 8ant is a socialist culture 8orthy of the
Hungarian people=s great and ancient achieve&ents;0 8hile all around people 8ere
dis&antling all the =socialist culture= they could find.
The 8riters 8ere giving up Guic%ly. Kabor Tanesos said no progress -8hatever it 8as he
had in &ind/ could be &ade ;8hile the guns are roaring.; ,s early as the 2#th0 Kyula Hay
stated ;$e &ust i&&ediately revert to peaceful &ethodsF fighting &ust stop i&&ediately.
4ven peaceful de&onstrations should not no8 be underta%en.;

11
$hile the intellectuals
8ere 8ay behind the 8or%ers0 lac%ing their basic intransigence0 not all 8ere so craven. On
the 2(th so&e told 2agy to ar& the 8or%ers. He shran% bac% fro& such a suggestion0
( 4ye8itness0 p 12#
19 .eray0 p192
11 1o&a?0 p13
19
The Hungarian Revolution
replying that ;,t present that is Guite i&possible. , lot of the 8or%ers are unreliable; ,t
ti&es it see&ed that 2agy had lost touch 8ith the reality of 8hat 8as happening=s in a
speech he referred to the ;historic0 durable0 and ineffaceable; results of t8elve years of
Co&&unist rule> The P@*=s plight no8 8as of no conseGuence 7 the rebels had reAected it.
On the basis of their o8n direct e?perience0 Bulgarians 8ere e?posing the sha& of the
=socialist states=.
The call for the Russians to leave 8as an e?pression of this. The fighting bet8een the
rebels and the Russians did not ho8ever have the bitterness that the clashes 8ith the ,MH
had. Ho :oviet soldiers 8ere lynched0 none of their corpses 8ere &utilated0 and on the
other side there 8as no vindictiveness sho8n to8ards the rebels by the Russians. The Red
,r&y soldiers 8ere not %een to be shot at0 nor 8ere they eager to shoot at a population
they had been peaceably stationed a&ongst for so&e ti&e. There 8ere so&e desertions0
particularly a&ong &e&bers of the :oviet Inion=s national &inorities. One e?a&ple 8as
an ,r&enian &aAor 8ho 8ent over to the rebels on the 2!th and distributed leaflets to
:oviet troops urging the& not to fire. :o&e rebels too disli%ed fighting the Russians. One
fighter co&&ented ;< found &yself shooting at be8ildered I%rainian peasant boys 8ho had
as &uch reason to hate 8hat 8e fought as 8e had... <t 8as an e&bittering shoc% to find
that one can=t confront the real ene&y even in a revolution. ;
$hile the rebels struggled to confront and defeat the real ene&y0 victi&s of the old regi&e
8ere being set free. On the 26th the police building in Csepel 8as stor&ed and its
prisoners released. Thousands 8ere let out of forced labour ca&ps and so&e 1'0999 fro&
the country=s prisons. The &ost co&&on cri&e 8as petty theft. *olice chief Popacsi
allo8ed all political prisoners and those fighters held fro& the first day or so=s fighting out of
the City *olice HS in Budapest. This act 8as to cost hi& a life sentence in 1(#. ,s the
fighting continued0 8ith &ost da&age occurring in the 8or%ing7class suburbs of Budapest
and the industrial to8ns0 the country=s far&ers 8or%ed to provide food for the rebels0 and
lorries 8ith bread0 flour and vegetables strea&ed into the to8ns. Ba%ers 8or%ed throughout
the rebellion and stri%e to ensure that rebels and stri%ers 8ere fed.
@espite hunger and poverty there 8as an absence of looting in the city. :hops 8ith bro%en
8indo8s had their goods left intact. ,fter the radio and the :oviet press tal%ed of looting0
signs 8ere put up on such shops saying0 ;This is ho8 8e loot.; ,nother popular slogan
dated bac% to the Porean $ar 8hen the )ederation of $or%ing Couth collected &etal for
the 2orth Porean 8ar effort5 ;:crap .etals 4nsure *eace>; no8 &ade a &ore appropriate
reappearance on burnt7out :oviet tan%s. :o&e 2orth Porean students -and so&e *olish
ones/ returned the favour by Aoining the rebels.
The collapse of the .@* and the unity of industrial 8or%ers0 peasants and 8hite7collar
8or%ers left the Kovern&ent po8erless by the 2'th. Real po8er 8as &oving to8ards the
revolutionary 8or%ers= councils. <t 8as these councils that called the stri%e0 and the 8or%ers
obeyed this call because it ca&e in effect fro& the&selves. :i&ilarly0 the call for a return to
8or% 8as accepted 8hen the councils &ade it. The Co&&unists had said that 8or%ers
8ere the ruling class0 no80 through the councils0 the 8or%ers 8ere putting it into practice.
,s the 8or%ers= councils spread fro& factory to factory and district to district the 2ational
Trade Inion Council0 realising that it 8as being &ade redundant0 tried to pre7e&pt
develop&ents by advocating 8or%ers= councils0 but 8ith its o8n old hac%s on the platfor&.
11
The Hungarian Revolution
$or%ers still turned up to such &eetings0 but elected fro& a&ong the&selves0 reAecting the
trade union officials. .@* &e&bers 8ere then urged to infiltrate the genuine councils. ,
paper called =<gaJsag= -=Truth=/ 8as started0 8hich %ept in touch 8ith the councils.
@elegations fro& the councils besieged 2agy=s govern&ent 8ith endless de&ands. T8o
recurrent de&ands 8ere for Hungarian neutrality and 8ithdra8al fro& the $arsa8 *act.
,&ong Hungary=s $arsa8 *act allies0 the CJech0 4ast Ker&an and Ru&anian Co&&unist
*arties 8ere particularly virulent in their conde&nations of the =counter7revolution=. This
8as &otivated by the fear that their o8n 8or%ing classes &ight choose to settle accounts
8ith the&. Russia itself0 8hile getting &ore troops into Hungary ready for the second
assault on the 8or%ers0 chose to &a%e an official declaration on relations bet8een socialist
states. <ts high7sounding phrases 8ere of course &eaningless0 but it also contained an
=analysis= of events in order to Austify the approaching= repression. Russia=s vie8 8as that
;the 8or%ers of Hungary have0 after achieving great progress on the basis of the people=s
de&ocratic order0 Austifiably raised the Guestions of the need for eli&inating the serious
inadeGuacies of the econo&ic syste&0 of the need for further i&proving the &aterial 8ell7
being of the people0 and of the need for furthering the battle against bureaucratic e?cesses
in the state apparatus. Ho8ever0 the forces of reaction and of counter7revolution have
Guic%ly Aoined in this Aust and progressive &ove&ent of the 8or%ers0 8ith the ai& of using
the discontent of the 8or%ers to under&ine the foundations of the people=s de&ocratic
syste& in Hungary and to restore to po8er the landlords and the capitalists.;

12
)or sheer
drivel this 8as hard to beat5 the 8or%ers and peasants 8ere fighting to eli&inate the
econo&ic syste& itself and destroy the state apparatusF the only =counter7revolutionary
force= involved 8as the :oviet Inion itself and its Hungarian supporters in the .@*.
The rebels 8ere Guite e&phatically not for the restoration of capitalis&0 nor 8ere the
political parties0 8hich 8ere re7e&erging. :&allholders *arty leader Bela Povacs 8as
clear5 ;2o one0 < believe0 8ants to re7establish the 8orld of the aristocrats0 .the ban%ers
and the capitalists. That 8orld is definitely gone.; 1i%e8ise 2ational *easants *arty leader
)erenc )ar%as5 ;$e shall retain the gains and conGuests of socialis&...; 4ven Catholic
*arty leader 4ndre Marga sa8 no point in trying to turn bac% the cloc% 7 ;$e de&and7the
&aintenance of the social victories 8hich have been realised since 1(!#...;
13
*eople 8ere
8orried that the reappearance of these old parties 8ould under&ine the unity of the
revolution0 but the hatred of the one7party syste& 8as such as to tolerate the&5 de&ands
for parties to be allo8ed 8as not though an e?pression of any great enthusias& for the&.
@espite the .@*=s record in po8er0 no 8or%er 8anted private capitalists bac%5 they 8anted
their supposed collective property to beco&e theirs in fact. 2o peasant 8anted the private
landlords bac% 7but they 8anted the co7operatives to be voluntary rather than forced. ,s
the *arty collapsed0 &e&bers burnt their cards. One &e&ber stuc% his to a 8all 8ith a
&essage ne?t to it 7 ;, testi&ony to &y stupidity. 1et this be a lesson to you.; The .@*
reorganised itself as the Hungarian :ocialist $or%ers= *arty -.:J.*/.
Of the t8enty or &ore ne8 papers that appeared 8ithin days of the uprising none 8ere
right 8ing. One that tried to publish found the co&positors refusing to touch it. The papers
8ere usually four pages or a single sheet0 either printed or stencilled. =<gaJsag= proved the
12 .eray0 p1!'
13 .eray0 pp1'37#
12
The Hungarian Revolution
&ost popular0 as it 8as closest to the 8or%ers= councils. $alls 8ere covered 8ith copies of
the papers and other notices. ,ccounts of .@* leaders= lifestyles &ade popular reading.
There 8as very little nationalis&0 and no anti7:e&itis&. :oviet ar&oured cars distributed
the *arty paper0 but people tore the bundles to bits 8ithout any regard for the contents. ,s
the Russian troops dug in round Budapest0 bo?es 8ere left in the streets to collect for
8ido8s and orphans. 2o one needed to guard these bo?es full of &oney. , notice ne?t to
one said ;The purity of our revolution per&its us to use this &ethod of collection. The
&ayor of the capital0 LoJsef Povago0 said the city 8as ;pervaded 8ith such sacred feelings
that even the thieves abandoned their trade.; On the 8rec% of a Russian tan% so&eone
scra8led the 8ords =:oviet culture=. , girl fighter in the Corvin *assage spo%e for
thousands5 ;2o8 <=& &a%ing history instead of studying it.;
....and in the country
Hungarians 8ere not Aust &a%ing history in Budapest. <n the country districts and industrial
to8ns0 8or%ers and peasants 8ere Guic% to follo8 up the events in the capital. On the 23rd
October itself in @ebrecen0 red stars 8ere already being ta%en off buildings and local
tra&s. <n :Jeged0 cro8ds tore do8n :oviet e&ble&s. <n .is%olc0 so&e Russians 8ere
attac%ed and an ar&y staff car thro8n in the river. The police 8ere disar&ed in Cegled
8hen so&e #0999 Aoined the uprising. The re&oval of :oviet troops fro& Hungarian soil
8as de&anded by oil 8or%ers in 1ovasJ0 &iners fro& Balin%a and auto repair 8or%ers in
:Jo&bathely. 4very8here 8or%ers 8ere finding their voices and ta%ing action.
<n Kyor on the 2!th a s&all de&onstration of factory 8or%ers ripped red stars off the
factories and destroyed a :oviet 8ar &e&orial. They bro%e do8n the prison gates and
released political prisoners. They found a list of the prisoners= occupations 7 driver=s0
8or%ers0 8aiters and &echanics. The ,MH turned up and fired at the cro8ds0 %illing four
and 8ounding &ore. The ne?t day the local police and ar&y garrison Aoined the revolution0
forcing the surrender0 of the ,MH. The local :oviet co&&ander 8ithdre8 his troops saying
that the rising ;against the oppressive leaders is Austified;. On the 26th a general stri%e got
under 8ay0 and by the ne?t day a $or%ers= Council and a =2ational Revolutionary CouncilE
had =been set up -=2ational= referring to the local county0 not the 8hole of Hungary/0
co&posed in the &ain of 8or%ers 8ith so&e .@* &e&bers. These councils 8ere in
constant session. They 8ere both insurrectionary and self7governing. The local radio 8as
in rebel hands0 and on the 2th it called for an end to the $arsa8 *act and de&anded that
<&re 2agy negotiate 8ith the Budapest 8or%ers. Thirty thousand &iners struc% for these
de&ands. , net8or% of local 8or%ers= councils developed0 lin%ing the rail8ay 8or%s 8ith
the &iners of Tatabanya and Balin%a. *ersonnel chiefs 8ere dis&issed and ne8 plant
&anagers elected by 8or%forces. The national Revolutionary Council successfully repulsed
efforts by a handful of reactionaries to e?ploit the situation.
<n nearby .agyarovar0 everybody 8as tal%ing politics as the ne8s ca&e through fro&
Budapest. , peaceful unar&ed de&onstration 8as fired on by the local ,MH. Bet8een 69
and (9 8ere shot in the &assacre. Ipon this0 the local police Aoined the rebels and the
Revolutionary Council in Kyor sent an ar&y detach&ent. The ,MH surrendered0 and their
officers 8ere lynched in revenge by a large cro8d. Here as else8here essential services
8ere %ept tic%ing overF &iners produced Aust enough coal to %eep the po8er going.
*easants Aoined the rebellion as the .@* cru&bled and the ,MH retreated in the face of
13
The Hungarian Revolution
popular opposition. )ar&ers 8or%ed to feed the rebels. <n to8n after to8n0 radio stations
8ere ta%en over0 *arty buildings burnt do8n0 ,MOs sought out and %illed0 infor&ers
attac%ed.
The Borsod district 8as the largest industrial area in Hungary0 and its &ain to8n0 .is%olc0
the largest industrial to8n outside Budapest. On October 2!th a 8or%ers= council &et at the
@i&avag iron foundry. The ne?t day the foundry 8or%ers &arched into to8n 8ith a list of
de&ands0 re&oving red stars and the li%e 8herever they 8ere seen. They 8ere Aoined by
other 8or%ers and a &ass &eeting created a 8or%ers= council for all the factories of
Kreater .is%olc. , general stri%e 8as declared. On the 26th a cro8d besieged the local
police Hi trying to get the release of political prisoners. The ,MH fired at the cro8d. :o&e
police gave their 8eapons to the 8or%ers0 and &iners turned up 8ith dyna&ite to get their
revenge. :i? or seven ,MOs 8ere lynched in the ensuing battle. The $or%ers= Council said
;:talinist provocateurs have felt the Aust punish&ent of the people.; The ne?t evening the
Council cal&ly announced that it had ;ta%en po8er in all the Borsod region;.
<n :algotarAan in 2ograd county all 8or% stopped on 2#th October. On the 2'th
steel8or%ers &arched through the to8n0 ta%ing do8n red stars0 releasing political prisoners
and destroying the :oviet 8ar &e&orial. , R2ational Council= 8as set up for the district. <n
*ecs0 even the ,MH at the uraniu& &ines sided 8ith the revolution. The $or%ers= Council
there far&ed a &ilitary council 8hich i&&ediately &ade plans to face another :oviet
attac%0 8hich 8as not long in co&ing.
The "or#er$ %ouncil
The first 8or%ers= council to be set up in Budapest 8as at the Inited 1a&p factory. This
council representing ten thousand 8or%ers got going on October 2!th0 8ithin hours of the
revolution starting. <t appealed to 8or%ers to ;sho8 that 8e can &anage things better than
our for&er blind and do&ineering bosses.;
1!
$ithin a day0 8or%ers= councils 8ere set up in
the to8ns of .is%olc0 Kyor0 @ebrecen and :Jtalinvaros5 incredibly0 the @i&avag $or%ers=
Council &entioned above 8as actually set up on the 22ndi <n Budapest0 councils appeared
at the Beloiannis electrical eGuip&ent factory0 the Ka&&a optical 8or%s0 the CanJ electric0
8agon and &achine 8or%s0 the 1ang and @anuvia &achine7tool factories0 the .atyas
Ra%osi iron and steel 8or%s and else8here. On the 26th the P@* graciously announced
that it ;approved; the ne8 8or%ers= councils0 but it 8as hoping to %eep the& isolated as
separate =factory councils=. Ho8ever the councils 8ere already assu&ing a united political
and econo&ic role. The general stri%e 8as a political act in support of the ar&ed uprising.
The councils %ept their po8er at the local level0 yet e?erted a collective pressure on the
govern&ent. )or the ne?t fe8 days there 8ere constant delegations fro& the councils to
govern&ent &inisters.
The .is%olc $or%ers= Council 8rote to 2agyA ;@ear *resident0 the $or%ers= Council
yesterday assu&ed po8er in all the do&ain of the Borsod depart&ent.; The councils in the
districts unhesitatingly seiJed po8er straight a8ayF in Budapest0 only as the ar&ed rebels
appeared to 8in. The councils in .is%olc0 Kyor0 Bscs and :%olno% had control of radio
stations 8hich allo8ed the& to co7ordinate 8ith each other and 8ith Budapest. ,s the
fighting eased off0 the 8or%ers= councils began to group the&selves into district 8or%ers=
1! Suoted in CritiGue0 p36
1!
The Hungarian Revolution
councils. On the 2(th delegates fro& the IApest councils &et at the Inited 1a&p factoryF
si&ilar &eetings occurred in the (th district of Budapest and ,ngyalfold. On the 39th
October0 nineteen factories in Csepel set up the Central $or%ers= Council of Csepel. Only
one day later0 these &oves to centralise and strengthen the &ove&ent resulted in a
*arlia&ent of $or%ers= Councils for the 8hole of Budapest.
This historic &eeting dre8 up a state&ent of the duties and rights of the 8or%ers= councils
8ith nine points0 here in full5
1. The factory belongs to the 8or%ers. The latter should pay to the state a
levy calculated on the basis of the output and a portion of the profits.
2. The supre&e controlling body of the factory is the $or%ers= Council
de&ocratically elected by the 8or%ers.
3. The $or%ers = Council elects its o8n e?ecutive co&&ittee co&posed of
37( &e&bers0 8hich acts as the e?ecutive body of the $or%ers= Council0
carrying out the decisions and tas%s laid do8n by it.
!. The director is e&ployed ;by the factory. The director and the highest
e&ployees a?e to be elected =by the $or%ers= Council. This election 8ill ta%e
place after a public general &eeting called ;by the e?ecutive co&&ittee.
#. The director is responsible to the $or%ers= Council in every &atter 8hich
concerns the factory.
6. The $or%ers= Council itself reserves all rights to5
a. approve and ratify all proAects concerning the enterpriseF
b. decide basic 8age levels and the &ethods by 8hich these are to be
assessedF
c. decide on all &atters concerning foreign contractsF
d. decide on the conduct of all operations involving credit.
'. <n the sa&e 8ay0 the $or%ers= Council resolves any conflicts concerning
the hiring and firing of all 8or%ers e&ployed in the enterprise.
. The $or%ers= Council has the right to e?a&ine the balance sheets and to
decide on the use to 8hich the profits are to be put.
1#
The Hungarian Revolution
(. The $or%ers= Council handles all social Guestions in the enterprise.;
1#

This state&ent 8as an atte&pt by a 8or%ersD &ove&ent 8ithin days of an uprising0 before
the success of the revolution 8as in any 8ay assured0 to ta%e po8er a8ay fro& the
bureaucrats. <t 8as an atte&pt to establish 8or%ers= control0 and to an e?tent0 8or%ers=
&anage&ent0 in the 8or%place. <t 8asn=t concerned 8ith abstractions but 8ith a day7to7day
realityF it represented a starting7point for the 8or%ers= councils ,s the 8or%ers had
generally ta%en their factories and 8or%places over already0 the &eeting=s resolution that
the factories etc. belonged to the 8or%ers recognised a fait acco&pli.
,ll the councils 8ere both anti7capitalist and anti7:talinist. Borsod @istrict $or%ers= Council
said that it ;resolutely conde&ns the organisation of political parties.;
16


The tendency to
unify continued into early 2ove&ber. The 8or%ers= councils in .is%olc set up a &unicipal
one for the to8n0 then a depart&ental one for the 8hole district. On 2ove&ber 2nd0 the
president of the .is%olc councils0 LoJseff Piss0 called for a =2ational Revolutionary CouncilD
based on the 8or%ers= councils. The developing i&plicit trend 8as to8ards the idea of ;all
po8er to the councils;0 and its realisation0 but this 8as not clearly stated5 the second
Russian attac% cut short such develop&ents0 <&re 2agy and his &inisters sa8 nothing of
significance in the councilsF si&ilarly0 the various political parties that had sprung up loo%ed
to their o8n activity as a solution to Hungary=s proble&s. $or%ers= self7&anage&ent 8as a
notion beyond the&.
On 2ove&ber 3rd the Csepel and IApest district councils called for the stri%e to end0 8ith a
disciplined return to 8or% on the #th. This 8as intended to strengthen the 2agy
govern&ent=s negotiating hand 8ith the Russians. On 2ove&ber 1st there had been a
declaration of neutrality and 8ithdra8al fro& the $arsa8 *act 7 this accession to one of
the &aAor de&ands of the revolution gave 2agy a te&porary popularity. Ho8ever0
8ithdra8al fro& the $arsa8 *act 8as unli%ely to be tolerated by the Russians. On
2ove&ber 3rd *ravda reported in .osco8 that ;&ilitant co&&unists had been &assacred
and &urdered;F on the day of the invasion it referred to ;bestial atrocities; co&&itted by the
rebels0 and the Chinese Co&&unist *arty paper urged 7 ;Bar the road to reaction in
Hungary; -by 8hich they &eant 7 ;stop this e?a&ple to Chinese 8or%ers;/.
The &ilitary 'efeat of the Revolution
The Russian attac% began on 2ove&ber !ths 1#90999 &en and over 20999 tan%s 8ere
used. The political parties as 8ell as all the various =leaders= disappeared in the face of it.
The 8or%ing class stood fir& and too% the lead. ,n i&&ediate spontaneous general stri%e
started0 and the fiercest resistance to the :oviet troops ca&e in 8or%ing7class areas. Lanos
Padar 8as the ne8 Hungarian puppet the Russians used to =invite= the& in. His
=Revolutionary $or%er7*easant Kovern&ent= co&posed of a handful of Co&&unists rested
si&ply on Russian ar&ed &ight. :oviet troops and tan%s &ade straight for the industrial
centres and 8or%ing7class districts to crush the revolution0 Throughout Hungary0 peasants
and 8or%ers tried to e?plain the truth to the invaders. *ecs radio broadcast &essages to
Russian troops0 &any of 8ho& had no idea 8here they 8ere0 that ;the Hungarian people
1# Suoted in 1o&a?0 p1!9
16 .olnar0 p1'(
16
The Hungarian Revolution
have only ta%en the po8er into their o8n hands;. ,s even the Co&&unist Radio RaA%
proclai&ed ;The place of every Hungarian co&&unist today is on the barricades;0 Padar=s
first &ove 8as to set up a ne8 secret police force. The 8or%ers= councils reAected Padar
and his fa%e govern&ent 8ithout hesitation. $hen @unapentele 8as surrounded by :oviet
troops on the 'th0 the $or%ers= Council there &et the surrender ulti&atu& 8ith the
state&ent5 ;@unapentele is the fore&ost socialist to8n in Hungary. <ts inhabitants are
8or%ers0 and po8er is in their hands. The houses have all been built by the 8or%ers
the&selves. The 8or%ers 8ill defend the to8n fro& =fascist e?cesses= but also fro& :oviet
troops>;
<n Budapest the heaviest concentration of :oviet ar&our 8as in Csepel and Pobanya. <n
the centre of the city fitting 8ent on till the 6th0 8hen the rebels= a&&unition ran out. :o&e
suburbs held out until the thF IApest and Pobanya till the (th and 19th0 leaving Red
Csepel to fall on the 11th 8hen the Russians could &ove all their troops to attac% it. These
last districts sa8 by far the fiercest fighting. :o&e 97(9B of the Hungarian 8ounded 8ere
young 8or%ers. Padar=s o8n reports confir&ed that &ost da&age occurred in the 8or%ing7
class areas. On the 'th0 rebels raised the red flag to co&&e&orate the Russian
Revolution0 8hile the heirs of that revolution %illed Hungarian 8or%ers. The ,MOs re7
e&erged0 loo%ing for revenge for their recent hu&iliations. Kovern&ent procla&ations
started to appear on 8alls. *assers7by defaced the&0 or pasted over the&0 or Aust ripped
the& do8n. <n Csepel the 8or%ers Ao%ed gri&ly ;The !90999 aristocrats and fascists of
Csepel are on stri%e.; Trenches 8ere dug in front of the 8or%ersD flats. Csepel 8or%ers for
those seven days slept eight hours0 fought for eight hours and spent the other eight hours
8or%ing in the factories producing ar&s and a&&unition. The Csepel ar&oured car &ade
its appearance 7 a three78heel &echanised 8heelbarro8 8ith a &achine7gun in the buc%et
propped up 8ith sandbags. ,gainst this0 the Red ,r&y used heavy artillery and bo&bers.
1e )igaro0 a )rench paper0 co&&ented0 ;The Red ,rray no8 occupies Budapest. <t is red
8ith the blood of the 8or%ers.;
Outside the capital0 @unapentele lasted till the (th led by its $or%ers= Council. <n *ecs0 the
$or%ers= Council decided not to defend the to8n. <nstead a plan 8as carried out for
guerilla 8arfare in the nearby hills5 this 8ent on in a &aAor 8ay for ten days0 and so&e
&iners and soldiers carried on fighting the Russians for several 8ee%s0 in .is%olc there
8as a brief resistance to the :oviet attac%0 follo8ed by a declaration of a general stri%e of
all non7essential 8or%ers. The Borsod $or%ers= Council offered to ta%e 290999 ar&ed
8or%ers to Budapest so that 2agy -no8 sheltering in the Cugoslav e&bassy/ could prove
to the Russians that their fears of a =capitalist restorationD 8ere groundless. 1ater on0 8hen
the Budapest police chief0 Popacsi0 8ho ca&e fro& the .is%olc area0 8as tried and
sentenced to death0 the Borsod $or%ersE Council repeated this offer to Padar0 8ho
pro&ptly reprieved Popacsi. <n :algotarAan in 2ograd county0 8or%ers supported their local
=Rational $or%ers= Council= after the :oviet invasion. Intil the 16th the 8or%ers held the
to8n hall0 the local press and radio0 and local ar&y units 8ere on the revolution=s side. On
that day the Russian troops too% over0 setting up a =Revolutionary $or%er7*easant
Co&&ittee= in opposition to the $or%ers= Council. On @ece&ber 1st0 the Russians arrested
the leaders of the 2ational $or%ers= Council0 but real po8er still lay in the hands of the
8or%ers5 they &arched to the police HS and secured the release of their fello878or%ers.
There follo8ed a solid t8o7day stri%e in the area. , fe8 days later 8hen further arrests of
district $or%ers= Council &e&bers too% place0 thousands of de&onstrators 8ere
1'
The Hungarian Revolution
confronted by tan%s0 and the ,MH fired on unar&ed cro8ds.
"or#er$ %ouncil lead the Reitance
The &ilitary defeat of the Hungarian 8or%ers and peasants thus too% Aust over a 8ee%. The
struggle no8 &oved into a. ne8 phase. The 8or%ers &ay have been beaten by an
over8hel&ing ar&ed force fro& outside0 but they still had control over productions as long
as they could %eep that0 ;8or%ers= po8er; 8as a reality and Padar=s govern&ent 8ould rest
on repression alone. The 8or%ers= councils reorganised in the 8a%e of the invasion0 setting
up district 8or%ers= councils 8ith an overtly political role. The Csepel $or%ersE Council sent
delegations to Padar and the :oviet ar&y co&&ander. The co&&on de&and of the
councils 8as that the 8or%ers 8ere to run the factories0 ensuring that po8er stayed 8ith
the&. On 2ove&ber 12th &oves 8ere &ade to8ards establishing a Central $or%ers=
Council for the 8hole of Kreater Budapest0 and on the 1!th the founding &eeting 8as held
at the Inited 1a&p factory. , young Hungarian intellectual0 .i%los 4rasso0 has clai&ed the
credit for the idea of a Central $or%ers= Council -C$C1/0 but he hi&self relates ho8 he
8as put in his place at the &eeting5 ;The elderly social de&ocratic chair&an as%ed5 =$hat
factory are you fro&Q= =2one=0 < said. =$hat right have you to be hereQ= < said that < had
actually organised the &eeting. The chair&an replied5 =This is untrue. This &eeting is an
historical inevitability>;
1'
The C$Cl 8as indeed the inevitable result of the councils=
atte&pts to unite. Prasso=s Ridea= coincided 8ith the direction of the 8or%ers= &ove&ent.
The delegates 8ho ca&e together 8ere in the &ain tool&a%ers0 turners0 steel8or%ers and
engineers. The follo8ing day a &ore 8idely based &eeting 8as held. :o&e of the
delegates 8anted to create a 2ational $or%ers= Council for the 8hole of Hungary then and
thereF 8hile &any agreed0 it 8as pointed out that they only had a &andate to for& a C$C1
for Kreater Budapest. The 8or%ers= councils 8ere deter&ined to be truly de&ocratic. ;)or
the Hungarian 8or%ers and their delegates the &ost i&portant thing about the councils 8as
precisely their de&ocratic nature. There 8as a very close relationship bet8een the
delegates and the entire 8or%ing7class5 the delegates 8ere elected for the sole purpose of
carrying out the 8or%ers= 8ishes0 and it is note8orthy that 8or%ers often recalled delegates
8ho diverged fro& their &andate. They didn=t li%e delegates 8ho 8ere too =independent=.
1

,t the &eeting0 :andor RacJ0 elected president0 stated ;$e have no need of the
govern&ent> $e are and shall re&ain the leaders here in Hungary>; Infortunately0 the
&aAority 8ere inclined to co&pro&ise in the face of ar&ed &ight0 and to negotiate 8ith
Padar=s fa%e govern&ent. , return to 8or%0 bac%ed also by the Csepel $or%ers= Council0
8as planned in order to sho8 that the stri%e 8as conscious and organised. .any 8or%ers
8ere very angry at this0 and accusations of sell7outs abounded.
,s real po8er lay 8ith the councils0 Padar=s govern&ent had to destroy the& and reinstall
authoritarian relationships in the factories. )or t8o &onths the struggle continued0 *oints (
and 11 of Padar=s =$or%ers and *easants Revolutionary *rogra&&e= 8ere for ;8or%ers=
&anage&ent of the factories; and ;de&ocratic election of the 8or%ers= councils;. Padar=s
counter7revolution had to hide behind fine phrases. But there 8as no 8ay Padar could
agree to the 8or%ers= de&ands5 ;collective o8nership of the factories0 8hich 8ere to be in
1' 4ye8itness p163
1 4ye8itness0 p1'6
1
The Hungarian Revolution
the hands of the 8or%ers= councils0 8hich 8ere to act as the only directors of the
enterprisesF a 8idening of the councils= po8ers in the econo&ic0 social and cultural fieldsF
the organisation of a &ilitia7type police force0 subAect to the councilsF and on the political
plane0 a &ulti7socialist7party syste&.;
1(
The C$C1 negotiated directly 8ith the :oviet ar&y
co&&ander0 Krebenni%0 giving hi& a list of &issing 8or%ers= council &e&bers every day0
8hereupon the Russians released the& fro& prison. The :oviets for their part sho8ed that
they %ne8 po8er lay 8ith the councils0 not Padar. ,t first0 Krebenni% treated 8or%ers=
council delegations as fascists and i&perialist agentsF in due course though a :oviet
colonel and interpreter 8ere &ade per&anent representatives to the C$Cl. <t 8as the
councils0 not Padar=s govern&ent0 that 8as arranging= all food and &edical supplies.
On 2ove&ber 1th0 a plan 8as developed for a truly national council0 a =parlia&ent of
$or%ersE Councils=. This 8as to have 1#6 &e&bers0 delegates fro& district 8or%ers=
councils in Budapest and the counties0 and fro& the largest factories. This body 8ould
elect a thirty7strong *raesidiu&0 8hich 8ould co7opt up to 29 representatives fro& other
groups such as the ar&y0 intellectuals0 political parties0 the police. ,n appeal 8ent out for
delegates to attend a. conference on the 21st to discuss this. ;The principal tas% of this
national conference 8as to create a po8er under the direction of the 8or%ers0 and in
opposition to the govern&ent.; On the 1(th 8or% restarted as a sign of discipline and
support by the 8or%ers for the C$Cl. @elegates to the conference ca&e fro& Budapest0
Kyor0 )teos0 Tatabanya0 OJd and there 8ere others fro& peasant organisations. , vital lin%
had been established bet8een the C$Cl and the provincial councils. The various &iners=
delegates 8ere very &uch against the return to 8or%5 ;Cou can 8or% if you 8ant0 but 8e
shall provide neither coal nor electricity0 8e shall flood all the &ines>; But those in favour
pointed out that the stri%e 8as hitting everybody indiscri&inately0 and a return to 8or%
8ould %eep the 8or%ers united in their 8or%places.
, ru&our spread through Budapest that the C$Cl had been arrested5 the 8or%ers
i&&ediately resu&ed their stri%e. ,lthough the 8or%ers in Csepel Aoined in0 the Csepel
$or%ers= Council conde&ned the ne8 stri%e. Before a co&&ission fro& the C$Cl could
investigate this difference0 the Csepel 8or%ers had pro&ptly elected a brand ne8 council
that 8as in line 8ith their 8ishes and actions0 supporting the stri%e and the C$Cl. $or%ers
8ere arguing through the different options facing the& no85 active resistance0 passive
resistance or flight. The first could not be &aintained0 although in fact there 8as never a
Hungarian surrender0 and a Guarter of a &illion Hungarians chose the latter and fled the
country to the 8est. Thousands 8ere deported to Russia0 particularly younger 8or%ers0 in
an act of indiscri&inate terror. Rail8ay 8or%ers did 8hat they could to prevent these0 for
instance by re&oving rail8ay trac%. :o&e a&bushes 8ere carried out against trains and
deportees released. .ost deportees 8ere allo8ed bac% during 1(#'.
,s passive resistance beca&e the course follo8ed by &ost Hungarians0 a sullen hatred
developed to8ards the Russians and their puppet govern&ent. $hen0 later on0 the
Russian leader Prushchev ca&e to Hungary0 supposed &ass &eetings of support on the
radio had to be boosted by canned applause. , succession of sarcastic posters appeared
on 8alls5 ;Ta%e care> Ten &illion counter7revolutionaries are roa&ing the country.
Hundreds of thousands of lando8ners0 capitalists0 generals and bishops are at large0 fro&
1( 4ye8itness0 p16(7'9
1(
The Hungarian Revolution
the aristocratic Guarters to the factory areas of Csepel and Pispest. Because of this gang=s
&urderous activities only si? 8or%ers are left in the entire country. These latter have set up
a govern&ent in :%olno%.; ;1ost5 the confidence of the people. Honest finder is as%ed to
return it to Lanos Padar0 pri&e &inister of Hungary0 address5 190999 :oviet Tan%s :treet.;
;$anted> *re&ier for Hungary. Sualifications 7 no sincere convictionsF no bac%boneF ability
to read and 8rite not essential0 but &ust be able to sign docu&ents dra8n up by others.;
;*roletarians of the $orld Inite5 but not in groups of three or &ore.; , popular Ao%e did the
rounds5 ;@=you %no8 8here 8e 8ent 8rong in OctoberQ $e interfered in our o8n internal
affairs.;
,s part of the policy of passive resistance0 a silent de&onstration too% place on 2ove&ber
23rd5 fro& 2 o=cloc% till L in the afternoon0 no one 8ent out on the streets of Budapest. This
sort of action sho8ed 8hat Hungarians thought of Padar0 and 8as i&possible for his ne8
security force to suppress. He appealed to the 8or%ers= councils to help establish order
and get production restarted. ,s if in reply0 the CMHC1 stated on 2ove&ber 2!th ;$e
reaffir& that 8e have received our &ission fro& the 8or%ing class... and 8e shall 8or% 8ith
all our &ight for the strengthening of the 8or%ers= po8er.; The only press that the councils
had 8as a duplicated =<nfor&ation Bulletin= 8hich 8as passed fro& hand to hand or read
out loud at &eetings. The councils allo8ed no party organisations in the factories5 .:J.*
and pro7govern&ent trade union officials 8ere banned and physically prevented fro&
entering.
@ece&ber sa8 Padar=s govern&ent slo8ly 8rest po8er a8ay fro& the 8or%ers= councils in
the battle for the factories. )ro& belo8 ca&e a relentless pressure for anti7Padar action.
On @ece&ber !th there 8as the =.arch of .others=0 a silent procession of 390OOO 8o&en
in blac% 8ith national and blac% flags. <n support0 all houses had lighted candles in their
8indo8s at &idnight0 despite the govern&ent ta%ing all the candles it could out of the
shops. The ne?t day a decree dissolved the Revolutionary Co&&ittees that had sprung up
alongside the 8or%ers= councils in the districts0 for instance in Kyor0 and 299 8or%ers=
council &e&bers 8ere arrested. The offensive continued on the 6th 8ith the arrest of the
$or%ers= Councils in the KanJ and .,M,K factories. ,t the sa&e ti&e the C$C1 8as
discussing plans for a 2ational $or%ers= Council and a provisional 8or%ers= parlia&ent 8ith
representatives fro& all the 8or%ers= councils. On the th0 9 &iners 8ere %illed in
:algotarAan by :oviet troops. The ne?t day Padar dissolved the C$Cl0 arresting &ost of its
&e&bers. The others carried on and declared a !7hour stri%e in response to the
dissolution and the shooting of the &iners. One delegate declared ;1et the lights go out0 let
there be no gas0 let there be nothing>;
:o it 8as for a 199B solid t8o7day stri%e. T8o of the C$Cl leaders 8ho escaped arrest0
:andor RacJ and :ander Bali0 8ere protected for t8o days by 8or%ers at the Beloiannis
factory0 8ho refused to hand the& over despite the fact that :oviet tan%s 8ere ringing the
factory. On the 11th0 Padar =invited= the& to negotiations5 as soon as they left the factory
they 8ere arrested. The stri%e continued. 4ven the *arty paper =2epsJabadsag= 8as forced
to say of it that ;the li%e of 8hich has never before been seen in the history of the
Hungarian 8or%ers= &ove&ent.; On the 13th as the stri%e finished0 the Csepel iron and
steel 8or%ers sat in de&anding the release of RacJ and BaliF other factories follo8ed suit.
:oviet troops 8ere then &oved into the &aAor factories to force the 8or%ers to 8or% at
gunpoint.
29
The Hungarian Revolution
The Revolution 'efeated
The stri%e 8as the 8or%ers= last card. Tadar=s ;Revolutionary $or%ers= and *easants=
Kovern&ent; had defeated the 8or%ers and peasants. <ntern&ent 8as introduced0 and the
death penalty set for stri%ing or inciting to stri%e. , fe8 days after this announce&ent0 the
Csepel <ron and :teel $or%ers1 Council resigned 8ith7 the 8ords ;8e are returning our
&andate into the hands of the 8or%ers;. ,s other councils did the sa&e0 Padar co&plained
of ;provocative self7dissolutions;> The C$Cl=s final &essage 8as that ;sabotage and
passive resistance are the order of the day;. Padar0 bac%ed by =a ne8 ,M4 and the :oviet
ar&y0 had seiJed the &eans of production bac% fro& the 8or%ers and attac%ed every
8or%ers= organisation. 2aturally0 he had a theoretical Austification for this. <n Pay 1(#' U he
told the 2ational ,sse&bly5 ;<n the recent past0 8e have encountered the pheno&enon
that certain categories of 8or%ers acted against their o8n interests and0 in this case0 the
duty of the leaders is to represent the interests of the &asses and not to i&ple&ent
&echanically their incorrect ideas. <f the 8ish of the &asses does not coincide 8ith
progress0 then one &ust lead the &asses in another direction.;
T8o thousand Hungarians 8ere e?ecuted for 8hat the ruling classes every8here 8ill
al8ays call =incorrect ideas=. Continuing resistance to Padar=s govern&ent can be gauged
fro& the scale of the repression5 the curfe8 8as not lifted until Pay 1(#'F su&&ary Austice
8as not brought to an end till 2ove&ber 1(#'V during 1(#' and 1(#0 e?ecutions occurred
virtually every dayF t8o years after the revolution0 there 8ere so&e !90999 political
prisonersF in 1(#(0 nine &e&bers of the IApest $or%ers= Council 8ere e?ecuted. <t 8as not
till Lanuary 1(W9 that death sentences 8ere officially ended for =offences= during the
revolution -although one insurgent0 1asJlo Hic%elburg0 8as e?ecuted in 1(61/. The last
intern&ent ca&ps 8ere closed in Lune 1(690 but several hundred rebels 8ere not released
fro& prison till the late =si?ties and early =seventies.
The 8or%ers of Hungary proved once again that freedo& co&es fro& belo80 not fro& any
leadership -=revolutionary= or other8ise/ above acting on their behalf. To destroy the
co&&unist bureaucracy they adopted for&s of organisation that 8ere de&ocratic0 anti7
bureaucratic and included the 8hole 8or%ing7class these councils 8ere also constructive.
The 8or%ers 8ere able to destroy the old and start building the ne8 8ithin days if not
hours. They reAected the official concepts of socialis& and created their o8n0 8or%ers= self7
&anage&ent and direct de&ocracy0 a logical develop&ent fro& previous 8or%ers=
struggles for a ne8 society.
The $or%ers= Councils 8ere never in any 8ay separate fro& the 8or%ing7class. They never
betrayed it0 and dissolved the&selves rather than be recuperated by the authorities> they
returned to the class fro& 8hence they ca&e. The Hungarian 8or%ing7class and their
councils reorganised society0 ran production0 %ept their order and united the rest of the
population behind the&. They 8ere only defeated by a &assive &ilitary force and the
passivity of the international 8or%ing7class. Kiven the chance to develop freely along the
lines they started out on0 the potential of the councils 8as the creation of a free hu&an
society at last. The progra&&e of the Hungarian Revolution still re&ains for the 8or%ing7
class to carry out.
21
The Hungarian Revolution
(urther Reading
Bill 1o&a?5 Hungary 1(#60 ,llison N Busby 1('6.
Tibor .eray5 Thirteen @ays that shoo% the Pre&lin0 Tha&es N0 Hudson 1(#.
.i%los .olnar5 Budapest 1(#60 Keorge ,llen N In8in 1('1.
Bill 1o&a? -ed/i 4ye8itness in Hungary0 :po%es&an 1(9.
,ndy ,nderson5 Hungary =#60 :olidarity -1ondon/ 1(6!.
Boo%s on Hungary 1(#6 are under code (!3.(9# in public libraries.
22
The Hungarian Revolution
The )narchit (ederation
The )narchit (ederation is a gro8ing organisation of class struggle anarchists 8hich
ai&s to abolish capitalis& and all oppression to create a free and eGual society. This is
)narchit %o**uni*.
$e see today=s society as being divided into t8o &ain opposing classes5 the ruling cla
8hich controls all the po8er and 8ealth0 and the +or#ing cla 8hich the rulers e?ploit to
&aintain this. By racis&0 se?is& and other for&s of oppression0 as 8ell as 8ar and
environ&ental destruction0 the rulers 8ea%en and divide us. Only the direct action of
8or%ing class people can defeat these attac%s and ulti&ately overthro8 capitalis&.
,s the capitalist syste& rules the 8hole 8orld0 its destruction &ust &ust be co&plete and
8orld 8ide. $e reAect atte&pts to refor& it such as 8or%ing through parlia&ent and
national liberation &ove&ents as they fail to challenge capitalis& itself. Inions also 8or%
as part of the capitalist syste&0 so although 8or%ers struggle 8ithin the&0 they 8ill al8ays
be unable to bring about capitalis&=s destruction unless they go beyond these li&its.
Organisation is vitalF if 8e=re to beat the bosses0 so 8e 8or% for a united anarchist
&ove&ent and are affiliated to the <nternational of ,narchist )ederations.
Our full ,i&s and *rinciples can be found on the 8eb at5
http5HHafed.org.u%HorganisationHai&s7and7principles.ht&l
23
The Hungarian Revolution
*eterloo *ress
888.af7north.org
2!