1956 HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION & SOVIET SUPPRESSION “REVOLT IN HUNGARY“ IMRE NAGY XD10524

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Browse our products on Amazon: This black & white educational film is: REVOLT IN HUNGARY. Title cards: Distributed by McGraw-Hill Book Company, producers of Text Films (:08-:14). Walter Cronkite introduces the film. Most of the film was smuggled out of Hungary. Title: Revolt in Hungary (:15-:38). A rocket takes off and a credit reads: The Twentieth Century (:39-:59) Budapest, March 9, 1953. Aerial shot of Budapest. On the morning of Stalin’s funeral in Moscow, Hungary came to a halt. Imre Nagy, one of the leaders of the communist party. People are sad or have blank expressions. A close up of a giant statue of Stalin (1:00-2:07). The statue fades into people standing atop where the statue used to be and it is now 3 years later, 1956, and a revolution is taking place in Budapest. A man saws the statue. People bash pieces of the statue and destroy symbols of Soviet control (2:08-2:47). Title card: Revolt in Hungary. Budapest, Oct. 23, 1956. Cronkite narrates. Explains how it all started. University students in Budapest hold a peaceful protest in support of Poland, who had recently defied the USSR. More and more students join. They assemble. A holiday mood and hope. People smile. Women wave flags, people march. The parade terminates at the statue of General Jozef Bem, a Polish war General who had fought for the freedom of Hungary in 1848. Tens of thousands of people are in the march. Should Hungary be communist? People rip flags (2:48-6:06). Students want a new government. They want their demands put on the radio. Their delegates are arrested, they will not leave until they are freed. The AVH (security police) opened fire on the crowd, since they wouldn’t disperse, killing many. Soviet tanks moved in over night. They are there to suppress all resistance. Everyday Hungarians decide to fight back (6:07-8:18) Hungarian Army Units are sent to suppress the revolt. Instead they go over to the side of the people. One of their measures of retaliation is: Molotov Cocktails, which they learned from the Russians. Soviet losses are heavy. They begin to withdraw. A group of soldiers who stood against the Soviet army. Women soldiers as well. Freedom fighters roam the streets. Hungarian leaders form a new government. One of the first acts of the new government is to round up those of the AVH (8:19-11:17). Death to the AVO (aka AVH) reads a sign! The remaining AVO men, who are at Communist headquarters, resist and fight back. After a violent battle, the few survivors are attacked by the freedom fighters. The bodies of AVO men are strung up and lynched. Political prisoners are released. Bonfires burn false confessions and Soviet propaganda (11:17-13:46). New waves of political freedom sweep the country. Imre Nagy is now the Prime Minister. Second in command is Janos Kadar. Freedom of the press is re-established, 20 newspapers are in circulation, not 5 as was before the revolution. Imre Nagy gives a speech on the status of his talks with Russia. After this: Ruszkik Haza! (Russkie go home) is painted everywhere (13:47-16:02). Oct 30, 1956, Soviet tanks head out of the country. People believe the revolution has been won. Soviet families are also leaving. As locals clean up, voices are heard coming from underground near Republic square. A search begins and people dig up. But to no avail, those people are lost and they were prisoners of the AVO before the revolution. Cardinal Mindszenty was freed after 8 years. He speech is shown. A funeral for victims is shown. People mourn (16:03-19:47). Life is returning to normal. Food is dispersed from local farmers. The airport is back in operation. Plasma for the wounded comes in. Poland gives a gift. Budapest is hearing rumors that the Soviets are coming in from the opposite side of the country. Defense Minister announces on Nov 3, 1956 that Soviet troops will leave Hungary. The Defense Minister is invited to a banquet at Soviet Military headquarters to finalize everything (19:48-22:21) The banquet is a trap. The defense minister is arrested. Later that night, the Soviets strike. On Nov. 4, 1956, Imre Nagy broadcast his final plea to the nation and the world, announcing that Soviet Forces were attacking Budapest and that the Government remained at its post. The plea is heard. The call is unanswered, the revolt is crushed. Janos Kadar forms a new puppet government, the Cardinal is given asylum in the US embassy. The defense minister is jailed and then killed. Budapest is in shambles. The Soviets have reclaimed Hungary (22:22-25:04). This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit