Hungary Revolts Against Soviets: Uprising Crushed
Hungarian students marched on Parliament in Budapest on October 23, 1956, demanding free elections, the withdrawal of Soviet troops, and the return of Imre Nagy as prime minister. Within days, the protest became a national revolution. Workers' councils took over factories. Armed civilians fought Soviet tanks. Nagy formed a coalition government and announced Hungary's withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. On November 4, the Soviet Union responded with a massive invasion: 17 divisions and 1,000 tanks rolled into Budapest. Fighting lasted four days. An estimated 2,500 Hungarians were killed and 200,000 fled the country. Nagy was arrested, tried in secret, and executed in 1958. The West condemned the invasion but did nothing. The message was clear: the Cold War's boundaries would be enforced with tanks.
November 4, 1956
70 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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