While in Budapest this past weekend we stopped by the memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Uprising at the parliament building.Crash history course...In 1956, Hungarians revolted against the communist government and Soviet control from 23 October to 10 November.
It began as a student demonstration and escalated across the country. The communist government collapsed, a new government pledged to withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact and hold free elections.
Most of the fighting ended by the end of October but on 4 November the Soviet Union sent in tanks to crush the resistance. Western countries never came to aid Hungary. More than 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviet soldiers were killed. More than 200,000 Hungarians fled the country as refugees. Afterwards there were mass arrests, deportation and execution for "counter-revolutionary activity."Here's a video I found on YouTube that shows newsreel footage of the uprising. It definitely has a 1950s propaganda feel to it.