AMDG 10/5/2020 Kabelo Chimhangu

History test questions: Hungarian Uprising

1. The Hungarian Uprising of 1956 was a nationwide revolt against the Hungarian People’s
Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies; it lasted from October 23 to November 10,
1956. It involved students who were supported by the workers and Hungarian army
going out into the streets and rioting. As the riots spread the Soviets agreed to a new
government under the leadership of the more liberal Imre Nagy- a popular communist
leader. Nagy bought new reforms and introduced free elections and decided to leave
the Warsaw Pact. The USSR were angry and hit back with force sending 6,000 tanks on 4
November 1956 to fight which led to the death of 30,000 people. Nagy fled but was
eventually executed and Janos Kadar took over wiping out all Hungarian resistance.
2. The Hungarian Uprising took place because Hungarians disliked the restrictions imposed
on them by Rakosi and then Gero. They hated the secret police and the thousands of
Soviet troops in their country and disliked losing their freedom of speech, some parts of
Hungary had Russian street signs and Russian schools and shops and to top it off
Hungarians had to pay for Soviet forces to be in Hungary. Other causes for the Uprising
was that Soviet forces moved into Budapest in large numbers after Nagy announced
reforms. This provoked freedom fighters to fight the Soviet forces. Nagy’s government
threatened Soviet control as he wanted Hungary to leave the Warsaw Pact, be a neutral
in the Cold War this also led to the Uprising.
3. To a greater extent I agree that the events of Prague spring were essentially a repeat of
the Hungarian uprising as in both cases students began the initial protests against harsh
communist leaders appointed by the USSR and rebelling against harsh conditions, no
freedom of speech, oppression of beliefs and poor standards of living, Both Nagy and
Dubcek introduced new reforms to improve the lives of people, Both countries returned
back to strict communist control, in both cases new leaders were appointed with Nagy
for Hungary and Dubcek for Czechoslovakia.
However the two events were different as although Dubcek did introduce more reforms,
he remained a communist loyal to Stalin however Nagy declared Hungary independent
from Soviet rule and went as far to create a new coalition government and leave the
Warsaw pact. This more extreme form of rebellion lead to Nagy being executed after
the rebellion failed rather than simply reverting back to stricter soviet rule like Dubcek
did.