4.8 • 773 Ratings
🗓️ 8 February 2024
⏱️ 32 minutes
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1956 Episode 1.9 takes a somewhat depressing journey into post-war Hungary, to present a story and a people which suffered much over the course of the Soviet occupation – also known as the Soviet ‘liberation’.
Liberation from what, one may ask? Well how about liberation from national pride, freedom of conscience and that all too valuable commodity in history – freedom from fear. Fear was the key ingredient in the Soviet-Hungarian relationship between 1945-56, and in this episode we detail its key characteristics. Why were some Hungarians so eager to serve the Soviets, who were the most loyal Hungarian servants above all, and what were the consequences of this partnership by the time Khrushchev’s secret speech shattered all notions of Stalin-worship?
These are questions we get into in great detail here, so I hope you’ll join us. The story of Hungary is as fascinating and inspiring as it is depressing and tragic, but either way, it is a story worth committing to audio podcast format, because it tells us so much about what life was really like under the Soviet writ, and how the end of the Second World War did not mean the end of foreign rule. The Hungarians had merely swapped one regime, one centre of power, for another, and this one was more determined than ever to hold sway over every aspect of their lives. The Hungarians were desperate for sure, but as 1956 would demonstrate, their spirits and dreams were far, very far, from crushed.
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0:00.0 | Hello and welcome history friends, Pat old in 1956 episode 1.9. |
0:27.7 | Last time we brought our coverage of the situation in Poland to a kind of conclusion. |
0:33.0 | Throughout the focus on Poland, we repeatedly referenced to the fact that the situation in Hungary |
0:38.0 | was somehow different and that Budapest endured a vastly different experience to that of Warsaw. |
0:44.4 | There are several explanations for why this was the case, but in this episode, we begin to |
0:49.3 | unpack the Hungarian experience. For those that feel unconnected to Hungary, perhaps even disinterested in what went on |
0:57.0 | there, I can assure you it holds a particularly fascinating quality. |
1:01.1 | As revolutions against the Soviets go, perhaps, only the Prague example in 1968 comes |
1:07.7 | close to what occurred in this troubled section of the Soviet Empire, and even then, |
1:12.5 | the Hungarians suffered more terribly, and had been suffering more terribly, up to the point in |
1:17.8 | 1956, where many decided enough was enough. This episode will serve as a great introduction |
1:24.4 | to Hungary between 1945 to 56, then, as we introduce you to this young |
1:29.6 | nation state and its leaders that would take part in their own way in what was to come. |
1:34.5 | Hungary is quite similar to Poland in a number of ways, partitioned into oblivion by its |
1:39.3 | neighbours in the 1520s. The once mighty medieval kingdom remained a troubled portion of the Habsburg patrimony |
1:46.2 | for some time, until in 1867 Vienna was forced to transform its compact with Budapest and |
1:52.9 | formed the dual monarchy. After that, he had the familiar road to the First World War and in a mirror |
1:58.2 | image of the Polish experience. From 1920, Hungary like Poland |
2:02.9 | emerged in Eastern Europe with a historical memory, great plans and bitter scores, which |
2:08.6 | contributed to its terrible contributions towards the Second World War, where its forces |
2:13.7 | waged war on the Axis side. Since Hungary lost the war, and it was unfortunate enough |
2:20.6 | to sit on the side of the enemy camp when the post-war arrangement was being drawn up, |
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