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A burnt-out Soviet armoured combat vehicle in Budapest in November 1956.

The Fate of the Uprising: 1956 between November and May

The events of the 1956 Revolution are quite well-known, at least in Hungary, as far as the beginning of it and the period of its brief triumph are concerned. What is less known is that the revolution was not fully suppressed on the day of the Soviet invasion on 4 November. Active, armed resistance lasted until 11 November, and civil disobedience, as well as sporadic outbursts of rebellion kept the Soviets from stabilizing their rule until the late spring of the next year.

A group of (probably) Hungarian refugees arrive at Croydon Airport on 21 December 1956.

Extra Hungariam — On the Intellectual Life of the Hungarian Exiles after 1956

The 1956ers were mostly young and eager to prove their worth…A child immigrant, George Szirtes is now a well-known British poet, winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize. A young medical student who was offered a place in Oxford’s famous Merton College after his arrival, later became one of the world’s leading molecular cardiologists. György Radda went on to head the British Medical Research Council, and on his retirement in 2000 the Queen made him a Knight of the British Empire.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó leaving the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 3 November 2023.

Szijjártó Emphasizes Hungary’s Importance in the Organization of Turkic States

The growing threat of terror in Europe is a direct consequence of the migration policy forced by Brussels, which has resulted in parallel societies in a number of Western European countries, the Hungarian foreign minister said. He also noted the sanctions against Russia, which he said resulted in ‘a continual crisis of energy security’.

A solidarity march on 5 November 1956 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The banner reads ‘Help Hungary’.

A Fatal Case of Empathy — Hungary and the UN, 1956–1963

When the Soviet intervention against the Hungarian Revolution was placed on the agenda of the UN Security Council, the Soviets immediately vetoed it: their argument was that it was no more than a ‘reactionary uprising’ supported by the US. The French, meanwhile, were of the view that not only the UN Charter had been contravened in Hungary, but also the Paris Peace Treaties, and even the Warsaw Pact that served the legal foundation for the invasion. On the other hand, the United Kingdom questioned whether the use of Soviet military forces stationed in Hungary under a valid treaty and at the behest of the Hungarian government could even be called an intervention at all.

Candles lit on graves in a cemetery in Poland on All Saints Day.

The Feast of All Saints: An Inspiration for All of Us

It was Pope Gregory III (731-741) who formally instituted the feast of All Saints on 1 November when he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome; he then required the Feast of All Saints to be observed annually. Surprisingly, this celebration was originally confined to the Diocese of Rome. It was not until Pope Gregory IV (827-844) assumed the Throne of St Peter that the feast was extended to the entire Church on that day.

Budapesters look on as Soviet troops temporarily pull out of Budapest on 31 October 1956.

Football and Fifty-Six: Identity and Restoration

‘The speed and eagerness with which Hungarian clubs sought to return to their old identities, with all the loyalties and connections they represented, demonstrated the power of these emotional and social meanings. And it was just as clearly a mark of the utter failure of the Party to co-opt and utilise the power of football for its own purposes. The Party abandoned the micro-management of football, paralleling its wider realisation after 1956 that, while its authority was still non- negotiable, it could and would not protect and justify it through the politicisation of society or the ideological mobilisation of the people.’

Ellie Cohanim at the European Pro-Israel Summit in Budapest on 9 October 2023.

‘Sustained international support for Israel is crucial as it takes necessary actions’ — An Interview with Ellie Cohanim

‘The path to peace in the Middle East is clear and straightforward, it’s about having the political will…If we can envision a world in which world powers actively check the Islamic Republic regime or even support the Iranian people in their quest for freedom to overthrow this regime and return to Iran’s ancient noble history, we could eliminate 90 per cent of the destabilization in the region. From there, we would work towards more peace deals between Israel and its Arab neighbours, building on the successful model of the Abraham Accords.’

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