The Hungarian Uprising

• 1.At the end of WW2, the Soviets appointed Matyas Rakosi as a puppet leader of Hungary.
• 2. 1956 the people of Hungary began to protest about their lack of political freedoms, and fuel and food shortages.
• 3. In October there were riots in Budapest.
• 4. Soviet troops restored order, but allowed the more reformist leader Imre Nagy to replace Rakosi.
• 5. Nagy allowed reforms like non-communists to enter government and the release of political prisoners.
• 6. On 1 November Nagy said Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact.
• 7. This was too far for Khrushchev who ordered a Soviet invasion.
• 8. On 4 November, 1,000 Soviet tanks entered Budapest.
• 9. When the Hungarian people fought back, 20,000 were killed.
• 10. Nagy was replaced by the pro-Soviet Kadar, and in July 1958 Nagy was executed.
• Consequences

  1.US President Eisenhower was sympathetic and some NATO countries took Hungarian refugees.

  2.No military support was offered. This showed that the USA would contain communism but not follow a policy of ‘roll back’ – it wouldn’t help existing communist countries overthrow communism.

  3.This made Khrushchev’s position stronger.

  4.It made future uprisings in the Warsaw Pact less likely as they knew the West would not help.

  5.The USA’s public criticism of the invasion made relations between East and West even worse.
• Who was appointed as the puppet leader of Hungary after WW2?

  Matyas Rakosi
• What were the main reasons for the protests in Hungary in 1956?

  Lack of political freedoms and shortages
• In which month did riots occur in Budapest in 1956?

  October
• What action did Soviet troops take during the Budapest riots?

  They restored order and replaced Rakosi
• What reforms did Imre Nagy implement after replacing Rakosi?

  Allowed non-communists in government
• What significant announcement did Nagy make on 1 November?

  Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact
• How did Khrushchev respond to Nagy's announcement?

  He ordered a Soviet invasion
• How many Soviet tanks entered Budapest on 4 November?

  1,000 tanks
• What was the outcome when the Hungarian people fought back against the Soviet invasion?

  20,000 were killed
• Who replaced Nagy after the invasion?

  Kadar
• What happened to Nagy in July 1958?

  He was executed
• How did US President Eisenhower respond to the Hungarian uprising?

  He was sympathetic to the Hungarians
• What was the US's military response to the Hungarian uprising?

  No military support was offered
• What did the US's lack of military support indicate about its policy towards communism?

  Containment, not rollback of communism
• How did the events in Hungary affect Khrushchev's position?

  It made his position stronger
• What impact did the Hungarian uprising have on future uprisings in the Warsaw Pact?

  Made them less likely to occur
• How did the USA's public criticism of the Soviet invasion affect East-West relations?

  Worsened relations between East and West