Khrushchevs account of the Hungarian Uprising
The Hungarian Uprising 1956 The Hungarian Uprising of 1956 had one main goal: to dismantle the Stalinist or pro-Moscow government in the country. ... ” However, the Soviets wasted no time in crushing the uprising as it posed a major threat to their communist regime in the country. In this essay I will assess and discuss the differences between Khrushchev’s account of the uprising and other sources of the event. By this I aim to highlight the fact that the Soviet Union opposed and ended the uprising in order to retain its power over the country, and not, as Khrushchev claims, to “save our Hungarian comrades.” Khrushchev’s account of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 differs in many ways from other sources. One of the main ways in which it differs is the description of the uprising’s aims and the decisions taken in terms of action. Khrushchev’s account implies that the Soviet decision to crush the uprising was taken in order to ‘save’ Hungary and its people from devastation, confusion and war. Khrushchev also claims that by crushing the uprising the Soviet Union was repaying a “historical debt” they owed to Hungary . Other accounts of the Hungarian Uprising, such as Sugar (1990) and Heinrich (1986) explain that the Soviets ended the revolution in order to restore a communist government and regime to the country. ... A further obvious difference between Khrushchev’s account of the uprising and other accounts is that the blame is placed upon different people and different actions. Khrushchev seems to direct the blame towards the Hungarians, whilst other sources, such as Brogan (1990) argue that it was the dismissal of Nagy that resulted in the uprising. Brogan (1990) further argues that the uprising was a direct consequence of the events in Warsaw. The events in Warsaw did play a role in the cause of the Hungarian Uprising to a small degree. ... The blame for the Hungarian Uprising, and any uprising in general cannot be put upon any one person or any single action. Khrushchev’s account and other accounts illustrate quite obviously. ... One can even go so far as to blame Gomulka, as he played a large role in the uprising in Poland, which contributed to the Hungarian Uprising in ways previously discussed. Khrushchev, in his account, also inflicts blame upon the NATO countries. He claims that these countries encouraged the uprising in the hopes that the communist government would be defeated. ... Khrushchev’s account of the uprising states how the Soviets followed the legal rules, in terms of withdrawing their forces from Hungary. ... One is under the impression that Soviet decisions taken in terms of action in the uprising were conducted in the legal and appropriate manner.