The Hungarian uprising of 1956 was a spontaneous rebellion by a nation against the rule from Moscow - against the faceless, indifferent, incompetent functionaries who in little more than a decade had turned their country into a pit of Marxist misery. But this fluttering of a national spirit was brief: the Soviet Union crushed the uprising with a brutality that shocked the western world.
The Hungarian revolution of 1956 was one of the most important events of the 20th century. It began on Oct. 23, when a demonstration of Budapest students in sympathy with Polish reforms erupted into anti-government riots, and ended on Nov. 4, when Soviet troops entered the city in force and crushed the new government. During those dramatic 13 days, now 50 years ago, the inhabitants of the Hungarian capital -- students, workers, intellectuals and others -- stood up for freedom and died for their independence.
The Budapest Sun: ‘I want to speak!’
