Hello and at Soviet rule in Hungary. The demonstrations turned violent and for a while the

revolutionaries were in control. In 2010 I spoke to Peter Palai, he's one of the

rebels who was involved in the uprising.

In October the 23rd, 1956,

Hungary, like other East European countries,

is a one-party communist state,

but revolution is in the air.

First year university student Peter Palai is on his way to Central Budapest

for a mass protest against Soviet domination. All we wanted was that we should have a more humane treatment, we should have a more livable society,

that socialism should actually live up to its name.

So we were going to march and a lot of people spontaneously started joining from the

sidewalks.

People looked out of office windows,

some of them hung out the Hungarian flags,

and workers started pouring into the center

and joining us.

So what started out with a few hundred students

soon turned into a fantastic mass demonstration.

It's very hard to estimate how many people poured out

onto the streets, probably half a million.

People started shouting various slogans and one that sticks in my mind which the first time it sounded

a bit risky but we all took it up.

...