1956 Revolution
The history
The year 1956 marks one of the most tragic and notorious moments in the history of a country well used to dark days. In the years after World War II, Hungary was subjected to a Stalinist dictatorship effectively overseen by Moscow. On 23 October 1956, a peaceful demonstration against the regime by students in Budapest was fired upon by secret police. This was the spark for revolution. An alternative government was briefly established under the reformist, western-looking Imre Nagy before Soviet tanks rumbled onto the streets and – after bloody fighting – crushed the rebellion. In the aftermath, 2,000 people were executed (including Nagy himself), 20,000 were arrested and many were sent to Soviet labour camps.
The anniversary
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the revolution and there will be a series of events in commemoration, including the unveiling of a new memorial in Heroes’ Square on 23 October.
Walking tours From September, a selection of local tour companies will start twice-weekly walking tours tracing the revolution’s main flashpoints on the streets of Budapest.
In London There will be a series of events held in London to mark the anniversary of the revolution, including readings by authors, conference discussions dealing with the events, an exhibition of contemporary photographs and the screening of films about the revolution (including the recently released Freedom’s Fury about the infamously violent water-polo match that took place between Hungary and the USSR at the Olympics a month later). For full details of the programme, contact the Hungarian Cultural Centre London (http://www.hungary.org.uk/; culture@hungary.org.uk).
Further information
If you would like to learn more about the 1956 Revolution and the events planned to commemorate its 50th anniversary, try the following websites:
http://www.kultura.hu/ Official website of the Hungarian Cultural Ministry; provides details about the anniversary events
http://www.rev.hu/ Website of the 1956 Scientific Research Institute
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