Hungarian Conservative

On 23 October 1956, István Üsztöke participated in the production of the famous sixteen points demanding democracy as a printer, for which he had to flee from Hungary. He emigrated to the US, where he worked as a printer until his retirement, then as a real estate agent, a candy man, and finally as a TV producer, for which he was personally honoured by former Hungarian President János Áder.

The exhibition, which features Pál Kepenyes’s small sculptures, life-size statues, and large-format photographs of his works, will be open until 9 March at the Aba-Novák Agora Cultural Center.

Katalin Novák expressed that the greatness of heroes stems from the fact that, in essence, they are not different from us. People who became heroes were sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, individuals grappling with the everyday challenges of life. Their exceptionalism arose from their unwavering commitment to making the right decisions even in the most difficult circumstances, the President pointed out.

Cardinal Mindszenty played an important role in the 1956 revolution. He assumed his post as archbishop immediately after his release from captivity, appealed for international aid for Hungary, initiated the process of cleaning the church from Communist infiltration, while also being active in the political life of the country. Firmly holding onto his conservative view of himself as the most important dignitary of Hungary, he tried to set the direction of the course of events. Contrary to the recent myth-busting efforts, this direction was not reactionary or outdated.

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.

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.

‘While establishing the Coalition in the early 1990s, I often tried to look at issues through the “other lens”. If something works in the US, why not try it in Hungary? And if it works in Hungary, why not try it in the US?’

On 4 November 1956, the fate of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was sealed as Soviet troops entered the country to crush the uprising.

‘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.’

Katalin Novák stressed that one of the purposes of her visit to Australia was to keep the motherland’s connection with the Hungarian diaspora alive, and as part of the effort, she decided to celebrate the anniversary of the 1956 revolution with the Hungarian Australian community. The President attended a 1956 commemoration and delivered remarks at the Hungarian Centre in Melbourne on 22 October.

On the 67th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, we are launching a new section dedicated to the Hungarian diaspora. The first articles of the new section tell the stories of 1956er Hungarian Americans. We wish our Readers a sombre remembrance and a stimulating reading.  

A recently released Russian history textbook defaming the Hungarian 1956 Revolution and Freedom Fight has caused serious public uproar in Hungary, with many on the right and the left denouncing it as a falsification of history.