Hungary 1956: Twelve Days That Shook the Soviet Empire

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At 5:20 on the morning of 4 November 1956, Hungarian Prime Minister Imre Nagy went on the radio with a desperate announcement: Soviet forces were attacking Budapest. Within hours, tanks and artillery would crush one of the most dramatic uprisings of the Cold War.

But how had a student demonstration just twelve days earlier grown into a national revolution that brought Hungary’s Stalinist regime to the brink of collapse?

In this episode, we follow the extraordinary story of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956: from political terror and secret police repression to the demonstrations of 23 October, street battles against Soviet tanks, workers’ councils, Imre Nagy’s remarkable return to power and Hungary’s attempt to break free from Moscow.

We also examine why the Kremlin briefly considered withdrawing its forces, why it changed its mind, and why the West watched as Soviet armour returned to Budapest.

For twelve extraordinary days, freedom suddenly seemed possible.

Curated episode extras⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode479⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Listen to our episode “A freedom fighter in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution” here ⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode159/⁠

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