1956 1.14: Lessons Learned and Forgotten

When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Zack Twamley

19th Century, 20th Century, International Relations, Politics, Thirty Years' War, Korean War, 18th Century, First World War, Phd, 17th Century, European History, History, War

4.8 • 773 Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2024

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

1956 Episode 1.14 analyses the Soviet response in the first week of November 1956, as the rug was finally pulled on Hungarian independence.

Having already removed his country from the Warsaw Pact and requested Western assistance, Nagy was persona non grata in Soviet minds, yet this Hungarian communist was not finished yet. If there was any chance at all that this Hungarian state could be preserved, he was willing to engage in whatever to took to protect his people from the Soviet axe. Yet, unfortunately for Nagy and for Hungary generally, there was no chance.

Khrushchev had no intentions of letting Budapest think for itself, and the crushing of the Hungarian revolution and the entry of Janus Kadar into Hungary represented the end note of the Hungarian effort. Kadar, it would transpire, was not the supplicant figure he seemed, but he was ambitious, utterly ruthless and not all constrained by any concept of loyalty to Imre Nagy, a man whom he had known and befriended after several years of close cooperation. This episode contains several primary source extracts which detail the real experiences of Hungarian politicians and citizens as they fled the country, encouraged it, or sold it out to Moscow. It provides us with a great and invaluable window into the Soviet mindset at the time, so I hope you enjoy it, and join us for the concluding episode on this Soviet chapter next time.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome History Friends, Patrons All to 1956, episode 1.14.
0:28.4	Today we've got a good few things on our plate.
0:30.7	We're going to examine the final crushing of the Hungarian revolution and the impact it had on the Soviet bloc countries, as well as the Chinese.
0:38.3	Late October to early November, 1956, was awash with activity, and had the events in Budapest
0:44.2	taken place the following year, perhaps, the West would likely have given it more attention.
0:49.5	As it stood, though, the events in the Suez Canal dominated the warrooms of London, Paris, Washington and Tel Aviv, and because of this distraction, Moscow was able to crush Budapest under its boot with far less revulsion across the world than would otherwise have been the case.
1:06.3	Last time we saw how the incredible state of affairs in Budapest had come to be, Hungary was apparently
1:11.8	on course to pursue an independent policy. Hungarians would be permitted to determine how they
1:16.8	would govern themselves. Yet, unfortunately, this euphoric victory, this ability to express
1:23.6	oneself which had been suppressed for so long could not last.
1:33.3	A combination of factors, including Soviet horror at the massacre in the Hungarian Communist Party HQ and Republic Square on the 31st of October, the infectious spread of the Hungarian
1:39.8	message through the satellite states, and the perceived need to re-coose Soviet prestige all played a
1:46.0	role in persuading Khrushchev that a re-invasion of Budapest would be necessary.
1:51.8	In the first few days of November, as the Soviet armed columns had approached and the tanks had
1:56.8	rolled towards their destination, Imre Naj's government tied itself in panicked knots,
2:02.2	as it tried to figure out the best solution.
2:05.9	Machiavellian levels of Soviet deception and lies, conducted by the Soviet ambassador to Hungary,
2:11.7	Yuri and Dropov, had effectively paralysed to the Hungarian response,
2:16.0	but Naj was always certain of where he stood.
2:19.0	Resistance to the overwhelming Soviet hammer would be fruitless under the circumstances.
2:23.9	It only made sense to treat with the Soviets and negotiate the best outcome if at all possible.
2:29.9	If negotiation was impossible, at least the world would know Hungary no longer abided by the Soviet instruments of control and vassalage.
	...

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