The Hungarian Revolution of 1956: Reform, Revolt and Repression 1953‐1963

Citation

Gönye, T. (1998), "The Hungarian Revolution of 1956: Reform, Revolt and Repression 1953‐1963", European Business Review, Vol. 98 No. 5, pp. 291-291. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.1998.98.5.291.1

The outcome of the Hungarian revolution was greatly influenced by the Suez crisis, which was caused by Britain and France invading Egypt as a response to the nationalisation of the Suez Canal. This diverted attention from the events in Hungary, virtually giving the USSR a free hand in suppressing the revolution by force. “The Suez crisis simply served as a convenient excuse, especially for the United States, in order to explain why, after years of liberation propaganda, it was not capable of extending even the smallest amount of support to an Eastern European nation which had risen in arms in an attempt to liberate itself from Soviet domination” (p. 99).

This well‐rounded book uses many newly available historical sources to form the foundation upon which hang the personal experiences of the participants, who form an ever dwindling list. It provides an insight into European history providing the background in which the Polish, Hungarian and Czechoslovak uprisings occurred, and how the USSR’s response to these events evolved. It has been postulated that without these catalysts, the 1989 breakdown of the “Communist Bloc” may have been delayed or even prevented.

A recent television programme highlighted the fact that Hungary continually loses battles, from Atilla the Hun, through the World Wars, to the 1956 Revolution. Refugees from these various conflicts have been scattered throughout the West, busily subverting its social structure by, for example, infuriating the world with a multi‐coloured flexible cube (Professor Rubik), or toppling the fountain pen from its pinnacle by an alternative, infernal writing implement (the eponymous Biro brothers), or unceremoniously ejecting the UK from the ERM and preventing the imposition of 15 per cent interest rates (George Soros and his Quantum Fund).

If it were not for the events of the autumn of 1956 in Budapest, I would, in all probability, not even be able to speak any English, let alone be writing this review, and for that I remain forever grateful for the people who died, suffered at the time or endured hardships subsequently as a result of the Revolution.

This book provides insights into how international politics have guided events in the UK, France, Egypt and Hungary and how it is possible to rise from the defeat of a revolution by dint of patience, tenacity and luck. This English version was edited and translated by János Bak and Lyman Legters and was partially supported by the Soros Foundation, Budapest. It is an essential European reference work, presented in a fluent, accessible manner, even bearing in mind the remote possibility that this review might be biased.