On October 23rd, 1956 a revolution broke out in Budapest as a protest against communist dictatorship, state terror and Soviet occupation.It developed into a fight for freedom in a short time, but was crushed quickly by communist authorities and the Soviet army. In spite of the defeat, this series of events was a landmark that made the first crack in the structure of the dictatorship of the proletariat, its consequences eventually leading to the downfall of communism.
Here is an album that chronicles the most important moments of the revolution, bringing this extraordinary time in history to life before our eyes, with photos of bombed-out trams and apartment buildings, a row of makeshift graves in a streetside park, a bullet-riddled Soviet star fallen to the ground. Some of the photos are published here for the first time.
The commentary sheds light on the background of the events as they unfolded, delving into the personality of martyred Prime Minister Imre Nagy as well as on the biography of the country’s post-revolutionary leader, János Kádár. Facts and photographs about the Molotov-cocktails used against Soviet tanks, the bloody Hungarian-Soviet water-polo semifinal at the Melbourne Olympics the same year, and the fall of the Iron Curtain decades later are also included.
This insightful work portrays in a striking, emotional way one of the most poignant chapters of Hungarian history: the country’s fight for freedom and independence.
The book is available in English, German and Hungarian for 2,450 HUF at Memento Park and at the bookshop at the House of Terror museum, the Hospital in the Rock, and at bookstores on Váci utca. Or order online at www.mementopark.hu.
1956 – The Hungarian Revolution
Written and edited by Ákos Réthly
Published by Premier Press
Design by Tímea Adrián
Publisher’s reader: László Eörsi, historian
Design by Tímea Adrián
Publisher’s reader: László Eörsi, historian
