The Hungarian Uprising
There were major political changes in the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s, and these affected the way the Cold War developed. After Stalin鈥檚 death in 1953 there was a reaction against his brutal Characteristics linked to a dictator, including acting in an overbearing way and ordering other people around. regime which had lasted for around thirty years. There were investigations into the widespread human rights violations that had been carried out under his rule, and many political prisoners were released from the Russian labour-prison camps..
Nikita Khrushchev emerged as the new Soviet leader and in February 1956 he gave a Secret Speech to the Communist Party, in which he denounced Stalin鈥檚 crimes and human rights abuses. He also introduced a Reforms initiated by Krushchev after Stalin鈥檚 death to denounce his influence and make Soviet society less repressive. policy, which encouraged people in the The communist countries of eastern and central Europe that were dominated by and allied with the Soviet Union after World War Two. to think that greater freedoms might be possible.
However, there were clear limits to the freedoms Khrushchev would allow. There was no possibility of countries in the Soviet sphere of influence leaving the A collection of 12 communist countries that agreed to defend each other if one of them was attacked. or of changing their system of government from communism. The limits to Khrushchev鈥檚 destalinisation policy were clearly seen in Hungary in 1956.
Background
- The Hungarian leader, who had been in control since 1949, was Matyas Rakosi, a hard-line communist fully under the control of Moscow.
- Rakosi鈥檚 secret police (the AVH) created a climate of fear, arresting anyone who spoke out or opposed A classless society where all property is owned publicly. rule. Consequently, Hungarians had no freedom of speech and even something as simple as listening to Western music could lead to arrest.
- Thousands of Soviet troops and officials were stationed in Hungary, and they were a drain on Hungarian resources, leading to poverty.
- The Russian language was being forced on the Hungarian people, especially in schools.
In June 1956 the Hungarian people began to protest against Rakosi鈥檚 The leadership or people in charge of a country., and Moscow replaced him with Erno Gero. Gero was no more popular and, following huge demonstrations, the Soviets agreed to the formation of a new government under the leadership of the more Policies that offer freedom or greater independence to people. Imre Nagy.
Nagy鈥檚 reforms included:
- Free elections to choose a democratic government.
- An impartial legal system to ensure fair trials.
- The total withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary.
- Farmers to be allowed private ownership of their land (instead of it being state owned).
- Hungary to leave the Warsaw Pact and declare Not supporting one side or another, staying out of a conflict. in the Cold War.
The Soviet Crackdown
Khrushchev refused to accept the idea of Hungary leaving the Warsaw Pact as it would leave a gap in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - collection of states, also known as the Soviet Union. An area giving someone protection against a threat, e.g. the USSR wanted a buffer zone around them after being invaded by Germany in both World Wars. with Western Europe. Soviet security was Khrushchev鈥檚 priority, and he decided to crackdown on the new Hungarian government.
Thousands of Soviet tanks and soldiers entered Hungary to crush the protests. Nagy was arrested and executed. He was replaced by Janos Kadar who eradicated the remaining resistance.
Although they expressed sympathy for the Hungarian people, there was no attempt at intervention by the US or Western Europe. It was clear that the West was not prepared to attempt An American policy to not just contain communism, but turn communist countries back to capitalism. of communism within the Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.