hungary

• why was there opposition to rakosi (political)

  • communist party in complete control
  • almost no human rights
  • secret police arrested oppostion
  • hungarians paid for 1000s of soviet soldiers in hungary
• why was there opposition to rakosi (social/economic)

  • farms + factories told what to produce
  • low standard of living
  • russian street signs, schools + shops
  • money spent on armaments
• events of 1956

  1. rakosi removed from power (june)
  2. gero new leader, not any better (october)
  3. nagy becomes new leader (october)
  4. soviet tanks crush uprising (november)
• what political reforms did nagy make

  • free elections for all parties
  • total withdrawal of soviet troops
  • impartial courts
  • democratic rights + freedom
  • planned to leave warsaw pact
• what economic/social reforms did nagy make

  • farmland to private ownership
  • took control of economy for hungary's needs, not USSR
• why did khrushchev send troops to hungary

  1. reforms threatened soviet control (not communist)
  2. wanted to maintain warsaw pact for security + warned other members not to do anything
• why didn't the west help hungary

  • too far away
  • didn't want to risk another war
  • suez crisis was more important
• results of hungarian uprising

  • other countries too scared to protest
  • 35,000 rebels executed
  • increased repression
  • Kadar put in as new communist leader
  • 200,000 refugees
• when was the hungarian uprising

  1956