What gave rise to the Hungary uprising against communism in the 1950s?

Answer 1

TWO main factors sparked the 1956 Hungarian Uprising.

FIRST, in Hungary (as in all of the other Soviet captive-satellite nations of Europe) the ordinary people hated and feared their Moscow-appointed rulers. They longed for freedom, real justice and the chance to lead prosperous lives within a truly independent Hungary.

BUT, there was no hope that a revolt could succeed as long as the governments in Budapest and Moscow remained united. The Secret Police, backed by the Hungarian Army and the Red Army, were far too strong to be challenged by the unarmed people of little Hungary.

So a SECOND condition was needed for a revolt to succeed. This condition arose from disunity amongst the leaders of Hungary and Russia. Quarrels between opposing factions in both the Kremlin and in Hungary created uncertainty about whether the USSR would indeed crush a reform movement in Hungary.

In detail ...

[1] WHY THE HUNGARIANS HATED THEIR GOVERNMENT.

• In 1945, the Red Army occupied Hungary, and Communists were appointed to all key positions in an interim government. A 50,000-man Secret Police force (AVO) was established. 250,000 Hungarians (from only 8 million total population) were sent to the Soviet Gulag.

• Under pressure from the Western Allies, a reasonably fair election was held. Despite intimidation, the Communists were heavily defeated, winning less than 17% of the votes. But it made no difference. Backed by the Red Army, the AVO began a reign of terror to crush all opposition.

• By 1948, the Communists were in full control. All of the usual Communist programs followed: collectivized farming; abolition of private enterprise; no freedom of the press or speech; complete subservience to the USSR; etc.

• Soon the economy was in tatters. Living standards fell. Favored Communist officials and police lived like Lords. Everyone else lived in poverty.

• Under these conditions, the ordinary people of Hungary were ready to take any reasonable opportunity to revolt. But they would have had no chance to succeed, if their Communist rulers had not fallen out amongst themselves.

[2] AFTERMATH of STALIN’s DEATH.

• Stalin’s appointed leader for Hungary was Mátyás Rákosi. There had always been rivalries within the Hungarian Communist elite. Rákosi led the “Hardline” faction that wanted complete subservience to Moscow; a complete denial of Hungarian rights to national self-determination; and complete repression of all other political views.

• But there was also a “Moderate” faction within the Communist party that was tinged with a degree of Hungarian nationalism. The Moderates feared that Rákosi’s total repression and incompetent management would ultimately produce an explosive revolt.

• After Stalin’s death, Krushchev emerged as the new leader of the USSR. To reduce the influence of his Stalinist rivals within the Kremlin, Krushchev denounced Stalin’s purges of the Communist party. Suddenly, Hardliners in the European satellite countries, including Hungary, found that they were out of favor in Moscow.

• As a result, serious disagreements over policy emerged within the Hungarian leadership, and Rákosi lost his power. His successors in Hungary had no intention of allowing any real freedom to the ordinary population, but they did relax some of the controls that had previously muzzled any discussion about policy within the Communist party.

• This is how the Petõfi circles (mentioned in TheBigShow’s answer) started. Not as free-discussion groups for the general population, but as discussion groups with a limited degree of freedom for selected members of the ruling Communist elite.

• But - as so often happens in a dictatorship - allowing a little bit of freedom is a dangerous thing. The Petõfi circles expanded, swelling in numbers to include non-Communists, and broadening their topics to include genuine debate on the disastrous record of the Communist government.

• The government’s responses were as mixed and contradictory. Moderates were inclined to listen sympathetically to complaints. Hardliners were likely to order the AVO to open fire on any protesters. Chaos ensued. And, suddenly, there was fighting in the streets. A revolution had started.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

• In Poland, just weeks beforehand, there had been similar demands for a measure of freedom from Communist repression. The Red Army had not been ordered to intervene. The Hungarians hoped that the same would apply to them.

• They also believed that the Western powers might come to their aid. This false hope was created by inflammatory broadcasts by Radio Free Europe (a CIA operation).

• The Hungarians demanded more freedom than Moscow was prepared to tolerate. On October 23rd, the demands of the protesters were only for moderate reforms within the Communist system. But very quickly, demands began to spin out of control. Next, there were demands for freedom of speech. Then for a free multiparty political system. Then for full independence and Hungary’s withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact.

• Krushchev realized that, if he did not order total, brutal repression, the whole Soviet satellite system might be overthrown. He ordered the Red Army to crush the revolt.

Answer 2

Mátyás Rákosi, the authoritarian leader of Hungary then in the 1950s, was treating everyone badly and the Hungary economy was declining. When he resigned, the students, writers and journalists became more active and critical in politics. Students and journalists started a series of intellectual forums examining the problems facing Hungary. These forums, called Petõfi circles, became very popular and attracted thousands of participants. On October 6, 1956, László Rajk, who had been executed by the Rákosi government, was reburied in a moving ceremony which strengthened the party opposition, and later that month, the reformer Imre Nagy was rehabilitated to full membership in the Hungarian Communist Party.

On October 16, 1956, university students in Szeged snubbed the official communist student union, the DISZ, by re-establishing the MEFESZ (Union of Hungarian University and Academy Students), a democratic student organization, previously banned under the Rákosi dictatorship. Within days, the student bodies of Pécs, Miskolc, and Sopron followed suit. On October 22, students of the Technical University compiled a list of sixteen points containing several national policy demands. After the students heard that the Hungarian Writers’ Union planned on the following day to express solidarity with pro-reform movements in Poland by laying a wreath at the statue of Polish-born General Bem, a hero of Hungary's War of Independence, the students decided to organize a parallel demonstration of sympathy.

The demostration attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building. A student delegation entering the radio building in an attempt to broadcast their demands was detained. When the delegation's release was demanded by the demonstrators outside, they were fired upon by the State Security Police (ÁVH) from within the building. The news spread quickly and disorder and violence erupted throughout the capital.

Answer 3

Basically it was a stand against the communist take over of Hungary the people had seen what happened to germany and poland and were determined that this was not going to happen unfortunatly the international community sat back and let it happen.Russia overran the military and established a puppet government under Russian rule

Answer 4

It started as a students protest against the Soviet occupation but was joined by soldiers and officials just days after the start. They wanted true socailism instead of Soviet occupation with restrictions on press and public opinion which had been abolished only in 1953 by Imre Nagy.

Answer 5

"cormucus" can leave Poland out of it, they were not part of this and, were never part of it and, in fact Poland was the only country that didn't bow to the communists.
As for Hungry, they did allow the communists to entertain their government but, when they decided it was to much for them, they found out to late. They closed the barn door to late and the horse was already gone.

They paid dearly but, it brought world opinion down upon the Russian regime and what was going on. Although they kept a strangle hold on Hungry they had to "cool it" due to world opinion.