The brief but bloody anti-communist uprising began on the afternoon of 23 October 1956 with a student march in Budapest in solidarity with reforms in Poland. By the evening, secret police had killed demonstrators who rushed the headquarters of Hungarian radio to have their list of 16 demands – including the withdrawal of Soviet troops – read on the air.
Revolt spread across the country and the Soviet-imposed government was replaced by a new radical leadership that announced its intention to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and hold free elections.
The Stalin Monument in Budapest is pictured in 1953Fortepan23 October 1956: A Hungarian flag is hung on the remains of the Stalin statue in BudapestFortepanStalin's head, knocked off the monument during an anti-Russian demonstration, lies in the middle of a road in BudapestKeystone/Getty ImagesBody of executed Party member at Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1956FortepanA Soviet armoured car burns on a street in Budapest in NovemberFortepan31 October 1956: Baross Street in the centre of Budapest, showing the devastation caused by the anti-Communist battle for freedomKeystone/Getty ImagesThe building of the national radio station in central Budapest is covered in bullet holesLaszlo Almasi/ReutersDamaged armoured trucks line the streets of BudapestLaszlo Almasi/ReutersA 15-year-old Hungarian girl carries a machine gun in Budapest during the anti-Communist revolutionKeystone/Getty ImagesFighters sit on top of a tank with a Hungarian revolutionary flag in BudapestLaszlo Almasi/Reuters
1 November 1956: A member of the Hungarian secret police is lynched by rebels in BudapestKeystone/Getty Images
Hungarians look at the body of a member of the state police hanging on a tree in BudapestLaszlo Almasi/Reuters
On 30 October, the Politburo announced it would not remove the new government, and would withdraw its troops from Hungary. But the Soviet leaders changed their mind the very next day. On 4 November, more than 100,000 Soviet troops and as many as 4,500 tanks invaded Budapest and other regions of Hungary, effectively crushing the revolution.
Soviet T-54 tanks in Budapest on 31 October 1956Fortepan12 November 1956: A Soviet army tank and armoured personnel carrier take position in BudapestAFP12 November 1956: A Soviet army tank takes position in BudapestAFP5 November 1956: A convoy of Soviet tanks is stationed at strategic points in the centre of Budapest. The Hungarians were led to believe that the tanks and other sections of the Russian armed forces were preparing to leave the cityKeystone/Getty ImagesA squadron of Russian T55 main battle tanks rumbling down a street in BudapestKeystone/Getty Images
More than 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviet troops were killed and 200,000 Hungarian refugees fled the country, most toward Austria. Hundreds of revolutionaries, including Prime Minister Imre Nagy, were executed in the wake of the uprising and the establishment of a Soviet-backed government led by Janos Kadar.
Hungarian refugees fleeing the Soviet army intervention in their country cross the frontier into AustriaAFP7 November 1956: Hungarian refugees lean over the barriers of Traiskirchen, an Austrian refugee camp, as they ask passing pedestrians for helpKeystone/Getty Images8 November 1956: A Hungarian mother feeds her baby at the Traiskirchen camp in Austria, after crossing the border from HungaryKeystone/Getty Images17 November 1956: The first of 2,500 Hungarian refugees offered settlement in Britain arrive at Blackbushe airport in HampshireTopical Press Agency/Getty Images17 November 1956: Hungarian refugees are met by social workers at Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire, EnglandKeystone/Getty Images
Though the uprising of 23 October 1956 was crushed, its impact was lasting and it played a role in the collapse of Soviet rule three decades later.
