Baják László Ihász István: The Hungarian National Museum History Exhibition Guide 4 - The short century of survival (1900-1990) (Budapest, 2008)

Room 20. The Rise and Fall of Communism (1945-1990). István Ihász

The Hungarian flag, its centre with the crest of the People's Republic cut out, became ennobled as the symbol of the revolution and struggle for freedom. The City Park (Városliget) statue of Stalin (the work of Sándor Mikus), toppled on the evening of October 23, became one of the outstanding symbols of the toppled political system, shattered by the anger of the people: our exhibition displays the almighty hand. A coalition government representing the post-1945 parties and under the leadership of Imre Nagy, recalled due to his popularity, was formed twice on October 24 and October 26, and then on November 2. From the first hour, the revolution questioned and finally discarded the communist single-party system, and indeed within a brief period toppled it in the streets. The bill posters expressing general political freedoms and desires, the announcements of the National Militia and the National Committee, the declaration of Hungary's neutrality, the pathos of the reviving parties filled with the illusion of unlimited freedom all attempted to escape historic reality and the status quo of Yalta as accepted by the West. The Russian troops called in by the Party leadership at dawn on October 24 as a demonstration of strength were forced to withdraw in the face of resistance by the rebels. Within a few days the dictatorship had collapsed all over the country and various revolutionary bodies have taken over the control