Hungarian Uprising

The Hungarian Uprising took place in 1956

Russification meant allowing Hungarians to pursue their own culture

Destalinisation encouraged Hungarians to push for reforms

Hungarians had fought against the Soviets in WWII

Imre Nagy was a 'hardline communist''

Rakosi was an unpopular 'hardline communist'

The USSR was 'exploiting' Hungary economically

The uprising began with a 'revolt by Hungarian soldiers

Slogans included 'Russian go home' + 'Independence for Hungary'

The AVO (or AVH) was the hated secret police of Rakosi

This joke was widely circulated in Hungary: 'There are still 3 classes of Hungarian citizen. Those who have been in prison, those who are in prison and those who are going to prison!'

Khrushchev tried to 'pacify' Hungarians by appointing Nagy as leader in October 1956

On Nov 1 Nagy angered Khrushchev by calling for Hungary's removal from the Warsaw Pact

Khrushchev send 500 tanks in to 'restore order'

The Hungarians quickly submitted to the Soviet invasion.

Nagy fled and replaced by Kadar - a 'reliable' communist