The Hungarian Uprising & U2 crisis

The Hungarian Uprising - 1956

In 1956, people in Hungary began to protest against communist rule. Hungary was one of the Soviet Union's satellite states.

Hungary's background under Stalin

Josef Stalin had died in 1953, with Nikita Khrushchev taking over as the leader of the Soviet Union.
Under Stalin, Hungary's labour, land, and raw materials had been used to produce industrial goods, many of which had been sent straight to the Soviet Union.
Hungary was led by Matyas Rakosi from 1953 until the end of 1955. Hungary had become a 1 party state under Stalin, and then Rakosi's rule.

'Destalinization'

Khrushchev took over from Stalin in 1953.
In a speech in 1956, reportedly said that a process called 'destalinization' could happen in Eastern Europe, with a more liberal regime.

Imre Nagy

In the winter of 1956, Hungarian people began demonstrating on the streets and pulled down statues of Stalin.
There had been food shortages and a year of bad harvests due to adverse weather.
- This seems to be what triggered the protests.
Nikita Khrushchev asked Imre Nagy to become the Hungarian Prime Minister.
Nagy was a communist, but he was viewed as more liberal and open than Rakosi.

Imre Nagy's extreme reforms

However, Nagy was more extreme than Khrushchev had expected.
Nagy announced plans to allow other political parties and end 1 party rule.
Then in November 1956, Nagy announced that Hungary would be leaving the Warsaw Pact.
These moves threatened the Soviet Union's control of Hungary.
And if they happened across Eastern Europe would wipe out the 'buffer' of satellite states that they had created.

The Response to the Hungarian Uprising

After the uprising in late 1956, the Soviet dictator, Khrushchev, reacted violently. Hungary was invaded and the USSR's actions were condemned by other nations.

Khrushchev’s response

Khrushchev saw the threat to the Soviet Union from Nagy leaving the Warsaw Pact and ending the 1-party-state in Hungary. If this happened in other Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe, then the Soviets would have no buffer zone and very little influence in Europe. He had to discourage the behaviour.
The Soviet Union invaded Hungary on the 4th of November 1956.
2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviet soldiers died as an army of over 200,000 men rolled into Budapest in tanks.
Khrushchev justified the invasion by saying that communist people were being killed by protestors.
Imre Nagy was executed by hanging in June 1958.

Janos Kadar

After Nagy was overthrown, Janos Kadar became the Prime Minister of Hungary, appointed by Khrushchev and the Soviet Politburo (leadership committee).
Hungary then adopted something called the '15 Point Programme'. This aimed to reverse Nagy's suggestions and tighten up communist control in Hungary.
However, Kadar was more moderate than other satellite state leaders, like Josip Tito in Yugoslavia.

International reaction to the Hungarian Uprising

The reaction to the Soviet Union's conduct in Hungary was vocal but weak.
The 1956 Olympics were in Melbourne, Australia. Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland boycotted in protest.
The United Nations wrote a statement 'condemning' the actions of the Soviet Union.
America accepted tens of thousands of Hungarian refugees (estimated at about 80,000), like Andy Grove (CEO of Intel), Kesha's grandmother and Milton Freidman (the economist).
However, writing statements does not free people from military rule.
The USA and West looked weak. They had shown that in a world with nuclear weapons, they would not intervene in Eastern Europe.

1Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair?

1.1What were the Motives and Aims at Versailles?

1.1.1The Treaty of Versailles

1.1.2Roles of Wilson, Clemenceau & George

1.2Did the Victors Get Everything They Wanted?

1.2.1The Terms: Territory

1.2.2The Terms: Reparations

1.2.3The Terms: Armaments

1.2.4The Terms: War Guilt

1.2.5The League of Nations

1.2.6French Reaction

1.2.7American Reaction

1.2.8British Reaction

1.2.9Countries Left Out of the Treaty of Versailles

1.3What was the Impact on Germany up to 1923?

1.3.1German Reaction to the Treaty

1.3.2Germany’s Allies

1.3.3Economic Impacts: Ruhr & Hyperinflation

1.3.4Social Impacts of the Treaty in Germany

1.3.5Political Impacts of the Treaty on Germany

1.3.6Reducing Reparation: The Dawes Plan

1.4Could the Treaty be Justified at the Time?

1.4.1Positives & Negatives

1.4.2Contemporary Opinions About the Treaty

2Was the League of Nations a Success?

2.1How did Weaknesses in the League Lead to Failure?

2.1.1The League of Nations

2.1.2Structure of the League: Assembly & Council

2.1.3Structure of the League: Special Commissions

2.1.4Structure of the League: Permanent Court

2.1.5Structure of the League: Secretariat

2.1.6Financial Crisis in the World

2.2The League’s Success in Peacekeeping

2.2.1Successes: International Borders

2.2.2Successes: International Agreements

2.2.3Failures: Vilna (1920)

2.2.4Åland Islands 1920-21

2.2.5Failures: Corfu 1923

2.2.6Failures: Bulgaria 1925

2.3How Important was the League's Humanitarian Work?

2.3.1Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 1

2.3.2Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 2

2.4How did the Depression Impact the League?

2.4.1The Great Depression, 1929

2.4.2The Manchurian Crisis, 1931

2.4.3Invasion of Abyssinia, 1935

3How did Hitler's Foreign Policy Impact the War?

3.1What were the Long-Term Consequences of Versailles

3.1.1Long-Term Consequences of Versailles

3.2What were the Consequences of the League's Failure

3.2.1The Disarmament Conference

3.2.2Collapse of the League of Nations

3.2.3Tension in Europe in the 1930s

3.2.4WWII & Failure of the League of Nations

3.2.5Weak Nations

3.3Was the Policy of Appeasement Justified?

3.3.1The Spanish Civil War, 1936-39

3.3.2The Sudetenland

3.3.3Arguments for Appeasement

3.3.4Arguments Against Appeasement

3.3.5Reasons & Acts of Appeasement

3.3.6Impact of Appeasement

3.4How Important was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

3.4.1The Nazi-Soviet Pact

3.4.2The Polish Crisis & the Outbreak of War

3.5Why did Britain & France Declare War on Germany?

3.5.1The Guarantee for Poland and the War

3.5.2Hitler’s Foreign Policy & Rearmament

3.5.3Hitler's Plan

3.5.4The Saar

3.5.5Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

3.5.6The Rome-Berlin Axis

3.5.7Germany & Italy in the Spanish War

3.5.8The Anti-Comintern Pact

3.5.9Anschluss with Austria

3.5.10The Munich Agreement

3.5.11The Crisis over Czechoslovakia

4Who was to Blame for the Cold War?

4.1Why did the US-Soviet Alliance Break Down?

4.1.1Cold War - Definition

4.1.2The Grand Alliance

4.1.3The Tehran Conference, 1943

4.1.4The 1945 Summit Conferences

4.1.5Early US-Soviet Relations

4.1.6The Breakdown of the US-Soviet Alliance

4.1.7US & Soviet Attitudes to Peace

4.2How did the USSR Gain Control of Easter Europe?

4.2.1The USSR & Eastern Europe

4.2.2Attitudes of Truman & Stalin

4.3How did the US React to Soviet Expansionism?

4.3.1The Beginning of the Cold War

4.3.2The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

4.3.3East-West Boundaries

4.4What were the Consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

4.4.1Germany

4.4.2Bizonia

4.4.3Berlin Blockade

4.4.4FRG & GDR

4.5Who was More to Blame for Starting the Cold War?

4.5.1NATO

4.5.2Warsaw Pact

4.5.3The Responsibility for Cold War Tensions

4.5.4Blame on the USRR

4.5.5Blame on the US

4.5.6Sharing the Blame

5Did the US Contain the Spread of Communism?

5.1The US and Korea, 1950-53

5.1.1The US and Korea: Background to the Crisis

5.1.2The Korean War

5.1.3The Course of the Korean War

5.2The US and Cuba, 1959-62

5.2.1Build-Up to the Cuban Missile Crisis

5.2.2The Cuban Missile Crisis

5.2.3Consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis

5.3The US and Vietnam, 1955-75

5.3.1French Rule in Vietnam

5.3.2President Eisenhower

5.3.3President Kennedy

5.3.4The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 1964

5.3.5US Tactics

5.3.6Vietcong Tactics

5.3.7The Vietcong

5.3.8The My Lai Massacre, 1968

5.3.9Vietnamisation

5.3.10The Tet Offensive, 1968

5.3.11Attacks on Cambodia & Laos

5.3.12The Bombing of North Vietnam

5.3.13The Failure of Vietnamisation

5.3.14The Growth of Opposition

5.3.15The Draft System

5.3.16The Kent State University Shootings, 1970

5.3.17Political Opposition

5.3.18Reasons for Support 1

5.3.19Reasons for Support 2

5.3.20Political Support

5.3.21Peace Negotiations

5.3.22The Paris Peace Accords, 1973

5.3.23Economic & Human Costs 1

5.3.24Economic & Human Costs 2

5.3.25The Strengths of North Vietnam 1

5.3.26The Strengths of North Vietnam 2

5.3.27The Weaknesses of the US 1

5.3.28The Weaknesses of the US 2

5.3.29Opposition in the US

5.3.30Reasons Why USA Lost

6How was USSR's Control Over Eastern Europe?

6.1Opposition to Control in Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.1.1Causes of Opposition

6.1.2The Hungarian Uprising & U2 crisis

6.1.3The U2 Crisis

6.1.4Czechoslovakia, 1968

6.1.5Reaction to Brezhnev

6.2Similarities Between Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.2.1Hungary and Czechoslovakia 1

6.2.2Hungary & Czechoslovakia 2

6.3Why was the Berlin Wall Built?

6.3.1The Berlin Wall 1

6.3.2The Berlin Wall 2

6.4Solidarity in Poland & Soviet Influence

6.4.1Solidarity in Poland and Other Developments

6.5Gorbachev's Responsibility

6.5.1Reagan & Gorbachev

6.5.2Reagan and the ‘Second Cold War’

6.5.3The Collapse of Soviet Control

6.5.4The Collapse of the USSR

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