A spontaneous national uprising that began 12 days before in
Hungary was viciously crushed by Soviet tanks and troops on
November 4, 1956. Thousands were killed and wounded and
nearly a quarter-million Hungarians fled the country.
The problems in Hungary began in October 1956, when thousands
of protesters took to the streets demanding a more democratic
political system and freedom from Soviet oppression.
In response, Communist Party officials appointed Imre Nagy, a
former premier who had been dismissed from the party for his
criticisms of Stalinist policies, as the new premier. Nagy tried
to restore peace and asked the Soviets to withdraw their troops.
The Soviets did so, but Nagy then tried to push the Hungarian
revolt forward by abolishing one-party rule. He also announced
that Hungary was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact (the Soviet
bloc’s equivalent of NATO).
Imre Nagy ( 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958)
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