Imre Nagy’s Influence on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
Mia A. Hofmann
Senior Division
Individual Historical Paper
2120 Words
Hungary went through great sacrifices to stand up against the oppressive rule of the Soviet Union for a world they could chose for themselves. Led by the idealistic Imre Nagy, civilian demonstrations erupted across the nation in 1956. Despite their efforts, the country was overpowered and crushed; Nagy was privately executed and his legacy buried. Yet, people of Hungary refused to remain hidden or silent; they protested, fought, screamed and died to build a nation most would never live to experience. Still, their struggle was far from fruitless and the Republic of Hungary was born in 1989. During World War II, Hungary was part of the Axis Powers. Recognizing their potential loss, Hungary tried to defect to the Allied Powers. Given Hungary’s relative location to Germany however; Germany instead overran Hungary to ensure the impossibility of their defection. After the war, the Soviet Union was granted control of Hungary.
The …show more content…
No one clapped nor cheered - there was just a collective feeling of shock. Citizens in the Soviet Union had been taught to revere Stalin and Khrushchev’s speech had torn that down within minutes; this feat represented the heralding of a new