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Many consider the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 the nation’s greatest tragedy. This utmost The Uprising, also commonly referred to as the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, represented a clearly spontaneous revolt by the Hungarian people against the ruling Stalinist regime and Communist party at the time, both of which . The Uprising was in turn were crippling response to post-war Hungary’s crippling development under Moscow’s Soviet policies and the Russian oppression. Although the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 comprised consisted of several major events, undoubtedly, it did begin began with the vast students’ protests on October 23 in Budapest, and it was quick, though fiercely, . The protests were quickly crushed only a few weeks later with the infamous proclamation by the Soviet-backed Janos Kadar on November 11 announcing that he had killed the Uprising.
Nowadays, it is a National Holiday when commemorations occur in Budapest and entire Hungary to remind Hungarian people Hungarians of their brave historic revolt against the communists’ Soviet oppression, and Soviet ruled system. Furthermore, later in 1989, after the fall of communism, Hungary symbolically declared a republic on October 23. Thus, “Day of the Republic” turned into a memorial recognition of nationwide heroism's Hungarian emblematic act.
====Pre-existing conditions for the revolt in the post-war Hungary====
However, following Stalin’s death in 1953, the Soviet block started to weaken with riots in East Berlin and Poland in the following year.<ref>1956 Hungarian Uprising: Post War Hungary & Sowing The Seeds of Dissent - http://www.local-life.com/budapest/articles/1956-hungarian-uprising</ref> Furthermore, Hungarian conditions got a little improved when the same year Moscow forced Rakosi to also resign in 1953. The far more liberal Imre Nagy became the leader of Hungary and declared a new, more liberal government program that aimed at increasing the standard of living and easing farmers' burdens. Nagy promised a new course – ending the heavy industry's forced development, providing more consumer goods, no more forcing of peasants into the collectives, the release of political prisoners, and the closing of internment camps. However, introducing these reforms, Moscow hesitated to support him for being well too liberal at the time. Nagy started a positive change in politics by a thorough review of the illegally condemned nationals’ cases.
On the other hand, the previous leadership members feared their vanishing privileges and that they would be accounted for their prior unjust deeds. Meanwhile, former Hungarian communist leader Rakosi had held a decent political power post as General Secretary of Hungarian Workers Party in the background. Unsurprisingly, the members of the previous leadership backed Rakosi, who convinced the Russian party leaders that Nagy’s program endangered the very state of the socialist-communist system in Hungary. <ref>October 23, 1956, Revolution - http://www.budapestbylocals.com/event/23rd-october-1956-revolution/</ref>Moscow ordered Nagy to withdraw his government program, but he refused to cooperate. As Nagy set about releasing anti-Communists from jail and removing state control of the media, Rakosi campaigned against him. Soviets quickly discredited and denounced Nagy, removed him from power, and quickly excluded him from the communist party. Rakosi then once more became the nation’s leading politician. However, Nikita Khrushchev, who had succeeded Stalin in Kremlin, shortly removed him from power, denouncing Stalin and his close followers to acknowledge their mistakes, endangering the very socialist-communist regime. Nevertheless, before stepping down, Rakosi secured his close follower Erno Gero as the new General Secretary of the Hungarian Workers Party. The political leadership with Erno Gero – the former second in command of the Rakosi cabinet – did not aim at conducting any reforms, while more and more Hungarians were demanding real changes. Therefore, the scene was still ripe for unrest.
Furthermore, it turned out that the events in Poland were the trigger for the Hungarian Revolution. Although the Polish government forces violently put down Poznan workers' staged mass protest earlier in June 1956, the Soviets in Moscow were worried. They let Poland negotiate wider autonomy and liberalization to avoid further unrest. A year earlier, Austria had also managed to declare itself neutral and avoid joining the Warsaw Pact. In turn, many Hungarians hoped to achieve something similar. When students from the Budapest Technical University (who had become a strong political voice) heard that the Hungarian Writers Union planned to express solidarity with Poland's pro-reform movements, they decided to join them.
====Hungarian protests vs. Soviet violence – the first wave of Russian tanks enter Budapest====
The tension reached its peak in October 1956. On the evening of October 22, 1956, students of the University of Technology in Budapest had decided to demonstrate the next day. They organized their demands in 16 point resolution, which included: withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Hungary; granting free elections, liberty of speech and press; abolishment of surrendering of goods and the right to sell Hungarian uranium deposits on the free market; removal of the Stalin statues; Imre Nagy to be appointed prime minister. In the late afternoon of October 23, 1956, over 50 000 people gathered at Hungarian General Bem's statue to demonstrate on the streets and read out their proclamation of independence together with the Hungarian Writers Union. In the following hours, the crowd marched across the Danube to demonstrate outside the Hungarian parliament, where people demanded Imre Nagy to deliver a speech. By 6 pm, more than 200 000 people had gathered, and the mood was spirited but peaceful. However, at 8 pm, Erno Gero broadcasted a speech dismissing the Writer’s Union and the students' demands and labeling them into the state's Hungarian enemies.<ref>The Hungarian Revolution of 1956: Russians go home! - http://www.historyinanhour.com/2013/02/21/hungarian-revolution-of-1956-summary/ </ref>
This uncompromising stance infuriated the Hungarian people, and they carried out one of their demands in the sixteen point resolution, tearing down Stalin's statue in 1951. By that time, other demonstrations started at several other parts of the city. A large crowd gathered at the Hungarian Radio headquarters as it became the focal point of the events. Moreover, the AVH (Hungarian Secret Police) heavily guarded its entrance and tried to prevent the oncoming delegation from attempting to broadcast their demands nationwide. The AVH then threw tear gas and opened fire on the unarmed crowd, and this cold-blooded killing provoked a full-scale riot against the communists and the AVH. Police cars were set on fire, weapons were seized, and Communist symbols were torn down and vandalized. In the following panic, Erno Gero called on military intervention from the Soviet Union to suppress the uprising as the freedom fighters seized control of the Radio building and other important parts of Budapest. On the eve of October 23-24, Imre Nagy returned as an appointed prime minister once more in assurance to continue with his reformist program.
