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====Pre-existing conditions for the revolt in the post-war Hungary====
====Hungarian protests vs. Soviet violence – the first wave of Russian tanks enter Budapest====The tension reached its peak in October 1956. On the evening of October 22, 1956, students of the University of Technology in Budapest had decided to demonstrate the next day. They organized their demands in 16 point resolution, which included: withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Hungary; granting free elections, liberty of speech and press; abolishment of surrendering of goods and the right to sell Hungarian uranium deposits on the free market; removal of the Stalin statues; Imre Nagy to be appointed prime minister. In the late afternoon of October 23, 1956, over 50 000 people gathered at Hungarian General Bem's statue to demonstrate on the streets and read out their proclamation of independence together with the Hungarian Writers Union. In the following hours, the crowd marched across the Danube to demonstrate outside the Hungarian parliament, where people demanded Imre Nagy to deliver a speech. By 6 pm, more than 200 000 people had gathered, and the mood was spirited but peaceful. However, at 8 pm, Erno Gero broadcasted a speech dismissing the Writer’s Union and the students' demands and labeling them into the state's Hungarian enemies.<ref>The Hungarian Revolution of 1956: Russians go home! - http://www.historyinanhour.com/2013/02/21/hungarian-revolution-of-1956-summary/ </ref>
Admin moved page What caused the Hungarian Revolution of 1956? to What caused the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
Nowadays, it is a National Holiday to remind Hungarians of their historic revolt against Soviet oppression Furthermore, later in 1989, after the fall of communism, Hungary symbolically declared a republic on October 23. Thus, “Day of the Republic” turned into a memorial recognition of nationwide heroism's Hungarian emblematic act.
In 1945, the residents of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and the other countries in the region, welcomed the Soviet troops pouring in Eastern Europe to pursue the fleeing German Army as liberators. Unfortunately, soon enough, the euphoria died out with the quick realization that Stalin did not intend to withdraw from Eastern Europe after Germany's defeat. Instead, the absolute Soviet ruler was planning to turn the region into Russian satellite friendly nations.<ref>Hungarian history: War and renewed defeat -https://www.britannica.com/place/Hungary/History#ref411390</ref> Furthermore, like many of its neighboring countries in the region, in 1949, the Russians coerced and effectively forced Hungarians to sign a mutual assistance treaty with the Soviet Union, granting them rights to enforce a continued military presence and thereby assure ultimate political control. Gradually the communists shifted power from the freely elected Hungarian government Independent Smallholders Party to the Soviet-backed Hungarian Socialist Worker’s Party led by the infamous and sinister Matyas Rakosi.
However, following Stalin’s death in 1953, the Soviet block started to weaken with riots in East Berlin and Poland in the following year.<ref>1956 Hungarian Uprising: Post War Hungary & Sowing The Seeds of Dissent - http://www.local-life.com/budapest/articles/1956-hungarian-uprising</ref> Furthermore, Hungarian conditions got a little improved when the same year Moscow forced Rakosi to also resign in 1953. The far more liberal Imre Nagy became the leader of Hungary and declared a new, more liberal government program that aimed at increasing the standard of living and easing farmers' burdens. Nagy promised a new course – ending the heavy industry's forced development, providing more consumer goods, no more forcing of peasants into the collectives, the release of political prisoners, and the closing of internment camps. However, introducing these reforms, Moscow hesitated to support him for being well too liberal at the time. Nagy started a positive change in politics by a thorough review of the illegally condemned nationals’ cases.
On the other hand, the previous leadership members feared their vanishing privileges and that they would be accounted for their prior unjust deeds. Meanwhile, former Hungarian communist leader Rakosi had held a decent political power post as General Secretary of Hungarian Workers Party in the background. Unsurprisingly, the members of the previous leadership backed Rakosi, who convinced the Russian party leaders that Nagy’s program endangered the very state of the socialist-communist system in Hungary.<ref>October 23, 1956, Revolution - http://www.budapestbylocals.com/event/23rd-october-1956-revolution/</ref> Moscow ordered Nagy to withdraw his government program, but he refused to cooperate. As Nagy set about releasing anti-Communists from jail and removing state control of the media, Rakosi campaigned against him. Soviets quickly discredited and denounced Nagy, removed him from power, and quickly excluded him from the communist party. Rakosi then once more became the nation’s leading politician. However, Nikita Khrushchev, who had succeeded Stalin in Kremlin, shortly removed him from power, denouncing Stalin and his close followers to acknowledge their mistakes, endangering the very socialist-communist regime. Nevertheless, before stepping down, Rakosi secured his close follower Erno Gero as the new General Secretary of the Hungarian Workers Party. The political leadership with Erno Gero – the former second in command of the Rakosi cabinet – did not aim at conducting any reforms, while more and more Hungarians were demanding real changes. Therefore, the scene was still ripe for unrest.
Furthermore, it turned out that the events in Poland were the trigger for the Hungarian Revolution. Although the Polish government forces violently put down Poznan workers' staged mass protest earlier in June 1956, the Soviets in Moscow were worried. They let Poland negotiate wider autonomy and liberalization to avoid further unrest. A year earlier, Austria had also managed to declare itself neutral and avoid joining the Warsaw Pact. In turn, many Hungarians hoped to achieve something similar. When students from the Budapest Technical University (who had become a strong political voice) heard that the Hungarian Writers Union planned to express solidarity with Poland's pro-reform movements, they decided to join them.
This uncompromising stance infuriated the Hungarian people, and they carried out one of their demands in the sixteen point resolution, tearing down Stalin's statue in 1951. By that time, other demonstrations started at several other parts of the city. A large crowd gathered at the Hungarian Radio headquarters as it became the focal point of the events. Moreover, the AVH (Hungarian Secret Police) heavily guarded its entrance and tried to prevent the oncoming delegation from attempting to broadcast their demands nationwide. The AVH then threw tear gas and opened fire on the unarmed crowd, and this cold-blooded killing provoked a full-scale riot against the communists and the AVH. Police cars were set on fire, weapons were seized, and Communist symbols were torn down and vandalized. In the following panic, Erno Gero called on military intervention from the Soviet Union to suppress the uprising as the freedom fighters seized control of the Radio building and other important parts of Budapest. On the eve of October 23-24, Imre Nagy returned as an appointed prime minister once more in assurance to continue with his reformist program.
To prevent any further escalation and to calm the infuriated masses, Nikita Khrushchev initially decided to order the Soviets to retreat from Budapest. Оn October 28, Nagy announced an immediate and general cease-fire over the radio and, on behalf of the new national government declared that a multi-party system was to replace the communist single-party dictatorship as well as: that the government would assess the uprising not as counter-revolutionary, but as a “great, national and democratic event”; an unconditional general cease-fire and amnesty for those who participated in the uprising; negotiations with the insurgents; the dissolution of the AVH; the establishment of a national guard; the immediate withdrawal of Soviet troops from Budapest and negotiations for the withdrawal of all Soviet forces from Hungary.
====Hungary’s Fate decided in Moscow. Soviet following decisive interventions of 4 November: The Why did the Soviet Empire strikes back ending Union decide to Crush the Hungarian Revolution==of 1956? ==
The Soviet Union’s new leader Khrushchev had a different approach from Joseph Stalin. He debated the matter of Hungary’s independence in Moscow, even considering negotiating its constant withdrawal of troops. Despite the Politburo and Presidium's initial decision not to remove the new Nagy Hungarian government and to withdraw the Soviet forces from Hungary, only a day later - on 31 October, the Soviet leaders decided to reverse their decision and to strike back. Soviets believed that the rebellion directly threatened the very Communist rule in Hungary. The West would quickly recognize a sign of weakness in Moscow’s lack of response, especially after the British, French, and Israeli strike against Suez that had begun on October 29. Soviets also feared the spread of anti-Communist feelings in Hungary, which also started threatening neighboring satellite leaders' rule. Finally, the Soviet party members would fail to understand any lack of response by force in Hungary. <ref><i>The 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A History in Documents</i> - http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB76/</ref>
The second Soviet intervention left no one guessing about the oncoming outcome. In the early hours on November 4, the Russians' strongest continental army attacked Budapest and Hungary with over 1 000 tanks, destroying the fierce but uncoordinated resistance of the poorly armed Hungarian freedom fighters. Soviets quickly seized control and occupied all key positions in the city. Nagy made his final broadcast to the world at 05:15 in the morning, appealing for international help. However, Western powers were much more concentrated on the Suez Crisis at the time. Janos Kadar, fully backed by Moscow, proclaimed himself head of a new “Hungarian Revolutionary Worker-Peasant Government.” He declared that Imperialistic western powers were financing this counter-revolution, and he called on Soviet help to put it down and restore order since Nagy’s government was “illegal.”
The Soviets backed up the so-called “restoration of order” by heavy artillery and airstrikes. Budapest became a bloodshed field with over 2000 dead casualties, most of them under 30 years old. Another 13 000 were injured, with many more imprisoned and executed, as the Soviet troops often failed to distinguish between civilian citizens and freedom fighters, firing indiscriminately at people and buildings. More than 700 Soviet soldiers also gave up their lives, most of them executed for refusing to fight. Janos Kadar proclaimed the end of the revolution officially on November 11, 1956. Soviets, led by Kadar, later lured, trapped, and arrested Nagy and his followers. Janos Kadar then charged them with treason and executed all on June 16, 1958.
====What was the Aftermath of the 1956 Revolution and International recognition==? ==
Recriminations followed with tens of thousands of Hungarians arrested, imprisoned, and deported to the Soviet Union, often without evidence or proper trials. Until mid-1957, many enemies of the communist regime were executed without a trace, and more than 200 000 people fled Hungary - either fearing for their lives or to escape from the Communist regime. Moreover, many of them were Hungary’s best-educated people searching for a better life in the Western world.
