One week before the revolution would occur, students broke away from the Party-sponsored youth organization DISZ and formed a radical independent student association openly opposed to the regime stirring the pot of revolution soup that was brewing in Hungary in 1956. Unlike the moderate Petofi Circle, the student groups were openly demanding satisfaction with their requests for change. The fundamental and structural changes they longed for were going to happen. One of the leaders of the student association AHUCU Association of Hungarian University and College Unions, Kiss Tamas, discusses the change in the culture of Hungary starting with the students, the young people, they were risking their safety for a better tomorrow. He said: “There was a kind of effervescence. A year earlier it would never have happened that students had a conversation in a corner or in a room of a Youth Hostel and talked about political matters. It was a taboo. Nobody dared to risk it, to express an own opinion. You could definitely feel in September 1956 that a change was going on. Something was going to happen, something was happening around us.”7 This association had goals of “being an army fighting bravely and soulfully for the nation, the country and for a merrier future”.8 These people should not be in fear of talking about the truth, but they should serve the nation and the country with their skills, knowledge and ability. The students, like the Petofi Circle, had a list of demands, theirs more radical and lengthy than the writers group. On top of the demands listed by the Petofi Circle, the students added the imm... ... middle of paper ... ...." Studies in Comparative Communism 16.1-2 (1983): 85-98. Print. Griffith, William E.. The Petofi Circle: Forum for Ferment in the Hungarian Thaw. Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for International Studies, 1962. Print. Janos, Andrew. "Nationalism and Communism in Hungary." East European Quarterly 5.6 (1971): 74-102. Print. Janscak, Csaba. The Spark Of Revolution (1956)-The Association Of Hungarian University And College Students. Budapest: University of Szeged. Print. Lasky, Melvin. "The Hungarian Revolution." Historical Text Archive: Electronic History Resources, online since 1990. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. . Rothschild, Joseph. Return to Diversity: A Political History of East Central Europe since World War II. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Print.
During the Communist Party, if people were to resist and speak up about any grievance that they had, they would be incarcerated and possibly executed. In her memoir, Kovály stated “By 1951, the atmosphere in Prague was almost as bad as it had been during the war. No one dared to speak out loud, and hardly a week passed without news of someone’s arrest” (101). This statement further explains how constantly were people arrested, and how people were so fearful that they were afraid to express themselves about anything publicly. In order to stay out of danger, “People no longer aspired toward things but away from them. All they wanted was to avoid trouble. They tried not to be seen anywhere, not to talk to anyone, not to attract any attention” (Margolius-Kovály 126). This statement also shows how people were living their lives at this point and how the inability to freely express themselves impaired the way that they interacted with others. The amount of fear that people had during the communist regime in Czechoslovakia discouraged them from resisting, especially since they could potentially be affected -- or in other words arrested and
After the Second World War, the Soviet Union spread their political ideology among the countries of East Central Europe. Instantly, Josef Stalin spread Stalinization across each of the countries to assert Soviet control. He created totalitarian governments with limited freedoms for its citizens. Following the death of Stalin, the new leader of the Soviet Union, Nika Khrushchev, began changing the repressive policies of Stalin, opening the doors to the countries of East Central Europe to challenge the rule of the Soviets. Using the Soviet Thaw as an opportunity to reform the system of government, many countries including Hungary and Czechoslovakia had uprisings against Soviet Rule. The Hungarian Revolution and the Prague Spring were uprisings against the Soviet Union that both ended in defeat with Soviet Union. However, the outcomes for both countries differed in many ways because of the differences in the motives for the uprising, the loss of life and the differences in the leadership of the uprisings.
Discourse of Collective Identity in central and Southeast Europe (1770-1945), ed. by Balázs Trencsényi and Michal Kopeček (Hungary: Central European University Press, 2007)
Imre Nagy, Premier of Hungary, responded to Stalin’s death and Khrushchev’s policies with attempts for reform that seemed anything but socialist. Nagy advocated for an increased development of agriculture and a reduction in what he considered to be “excessive industrialization,” (Nagy, 425). Going directly against Stalin’s policies, Nagy also believed that “Greater tolerance is to be shown in religious questions,” (Nagy, 426). Nagy’s views directly contradicted previous socialist thought, which advocated for strong industry and oppression of religion in all its forms. Nagy’s views caused him to be removed from his position, but he had sparked a fire of ideas in Hungary. In 1956 a revolt broke out, which partially stemmed from a desire to reinstate Nagy. However, the Soviet Union cracked down on Hungary, which resulted in bloodshed. Hungary had revolted and declared independence from the Warsaw Pact. The USSR descended upon Hungary leaving many dead. This violent uprising is akin to the Marquis in France during WWII. The Marquis “were fighting for the liberation of their country,” via “violent means,” (Hallie, 9). Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed depicts the Marquis in an essentially negative light. The uprising in
“East Central Europe between the Two World Wars,” written by Joseph Rothschild, is ninth volume of the 11-volume series of books written about the history of East Central Europe. Each book in the series provides study of specific period of time in different historical context and this particular volume concentrates on the countries of East Central Europe in the interwar period. The book is rich with detailed information about each state-nation that was established in the given period and it tries to identify important political as well as socioeconomic issues that were experienced in the region.
...t, John Pearce; Kaufman, Richard F. (1995), East-Central European Economies in Transition, M.E. Sharpe, ISBN 1-56324-612-013. The Aftermath of the Second World War." The Aftermath of the Second World War. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, after almost 30 years of general calm, the Polish people once again began protesting Russian rule. Meetings were held and discussions raged about reforms and emancipatio...
2.Chiva, Cristina. "Women In Post-Communist Politics: Explaining Under-Representation In The Hungarian And Romanian Parliaments." Europe-Asia Studies 57.7 (2005): 969-994. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
In the fall of 1989, people all around the world were watching unbelievable scenes on their televisions. Thousands of people in eastern Europe were meeting in the streets and squares and demanding the end of the communist rule. For the first time in history, opposition to communism was publicly voiced. Barbed wire border fences in Hungary are being torn down. East Germans fleeing to the West.
of the beginning of the fall of Communism in Poland. The Communist government saw that the
Ray, Rob, and John S, eds. “1956: The Hungarian Revolution.” Libcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. .
...eeded in putting communism on the political map of the world. Governments across Europe and Latin America emulated Stalin and instituted their own brands of communism within their respective countries. Yet, what was to be the permanent revolution, has infected and affected the world for almost an entire century. Every year since 1917 has seen people in revolt. Economics, austerity, and political corruption have been the common causes of popular uprisings across the world, and whether the revolutions have been peaceful or violent, the result has nearly always been a change in the political structure and the redrawing of boundary lines. The continued presence of Russian-backed revolutions combined with the cries of the European people for independence and security reflect the ongoing influence of the Russian Revolution on the whole of Europe and, possibly, the world.
In the years leading up to the Prague Spring, Antonín Novotný governed Czechoslovakia. He openly supported Stalinism, and under his power, the people of Czechoslovakia suffered from fierce government regulations, censorship and poor leadership decisions. Although he led the process of de-Stalinization (since Stalin’s death in 1953), the pace of change was extremely slow and thus the people called for more reforms. In May of 1966 the Czechoslovakians began to complain that the Soviets were exploiting them, this was the first spark that eventually lead to the flame of his overthrow. Furthermore, Czechoslovakia was an industrialized nation and the Soviet’s model of economy did not suit them, in fact it hurt Czechoslovakians, and lead to a decline in their economy. In fact, the conditions for the working class were a...
Following the death of Josef Stalin in 1953, the harsh policies he implemented in not only the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but also its many satellite nations began to break down. There was a movement to distance all of the socialist nations from Stalin?s sadistic rule. In the Peoples? Republic of Hungary, there was much disillusionment with this Stalinist absolutism (Felkay 50). This disillusionment with the Soviet ideal of socialism lead the people of the fledgeling socialist state of Hungary to rise up in revolt, but ill-preparedness and the strength of the Soviet Red Army put down the insurrection within several days.
Gati, Charles. Failed Illusions: Moscow, Washington, Budapest and the 1956 Hungarian Revolt. Stanford University Press.2006. Print.