The Eighth Tribe, 1981 (8. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1981-11-01 / 11. szám
November, 1981 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 7 — Chicago and Vicinity Reflections on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956— Twenty-Five Years After by: Joseph Kovago (Joseph Kovago, former Mayor of Budapest, is Lecturer at Stockton State College, New Jersey.) The record has been made clear by hundreds of articlés by well known historians about the Hungarian Revolution in the last 25 years. University students in Budapest started a peaceful demonstration on October 23, 1956. They sang national songs and chanted slogans. They demanded the reestablishment of human dignity and national independence. They told that Soviet troops should be withdrawn from Hungary and major political reforms should be initiated without delay. When the secret police opened fire on them and Soviet troops were called in for action, the peaceful demonstration suddenly changed to a spontaneous freedom fight. The Hungarian nation, led by a heroic young generation, fought a lonely fight with primitive weapons against the overwhelming forces of the oppressor, and won a shiny, but unfortunately, short-lived victory over tyranny. For a few days, Hungary regained her freedom and independence in a volcanic eruption in which the great spiritual and physical energies of a small nation were liberated. In simpler words, all strata of the Hungarian society joined the revolution and freedom fight without any preparation or organization. Disillusioned Communist Party members and millions of noncommunists were fused together by common emotions. The truth is that communists and leftist intellectuals supplied the spiritual leadership. This spontaneous mass participation of Hungarian society supplied strength and caused a sudden collapse of that ‘ ‘politico-magnetic field’ ’ which was built on the structure of terror. A revolutionary government under Imre Nagy — a nationalist communist — was created by national will within a few days. The Communist Party and three major noncommunist parties, which previously had been outlawed, joined forces in this coalition government in order to reestablish a parliamentary democratic system in accordance with national Will. This government was sworn in in accordance with legal requirements. The Hungarian government emphasized its determination to reestablish friendly relations with the Soviet Union, as soon as Soviet troops left the country. While this was accepted by the Soviet Union, a few days later a threatening new military build-up of Soviet troops was discovered around Hungary. In the shadow of Soviet troop movements, Prime Minister Imre Nagy declared Hungary’s neutrality and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. The government turned for help to the United Nations to safeguard a Finnish-Austrian type Hungarian neutrality which was also considered to be acceptable to. the Soviet Union. Such a neutrality would not endanger any Soviet security interests. On November 4, 1956, Soviet troops, with overwhelming force and fire power, started an attack against Hungary, violating the country’s neutrality. Soon the valiant freedom fighters were silenced by brute force. However,. revolutionary and worker councils continued to resist the imposition of a Quisling government formed by the Soviet Union. Twenty-five years after these tragic events, the most important question is: Have •he ideals of the Hungarian Revolution remained relevant in the present day international political atmosphere? Answering this question is difficult in the light of new facts which we have to recognize. Soviet power has dramatically ascended during the last quarter of a century. The overall balance of power in the European theater has also changed. The center of gravity of world politics which was in Europe in the post-war years, has shifted to the Middle East. The fate of East Central Europe, which had been a primary concern of Western statesmen after the war, lost its significance. The Soviet sphere of influence in Europe has solidified against the will of most of the coun-On November 1, 1956, it was already obvious (though the Soviet troops did not yet commence firing) that the scope of Soviet invasion meant war. At that juncture, the Prime Minister broadcast another dramatic statement: “The Hungarian government received authentic reports on the invasion of Hungary by new Soviet military formations. (The government) demanded the immediate withdrawal of these troops. Declared to the Soviet Ambassador, that the government immediately withdraws from the Warsaw Treaty Organization and simultaneously declares its neutrality.” Obviously the declaration ot neutrality was a consequence of the Soviet aggression rather than its cause. But was such a declaration serving any purpose? The government reasoned, that an invasion of an ally is bad enough and might be condemned post factum by organs of the civilized world. However, the reasoning continued, probably the attack against a neutral country might outrage the world to a degree that international political action might be launched against the USSR. This hoped for possibility, combined with an utopian overestimation of the political potential of the UN caused the declaration of neutrality. History will record as the start of the political impotence of the UN as of November 1, 1956.
