Article by Janice E. Clark
Bureau of Public Affairs
October 11, 2006
Take a look at Hungary on a map. It may be small, but its location is important.
Nearly 50 years ago, in late October 1956, people in that small European country took bold moves toward democracy. Soviet oppression had reached a breaking point. Eager for change, students marched in the Hungarian capital of Budapest in support of Poland's confrontation with the Soviet Union, until Soviet tanks rolled in and their forces fired on the crowds. Hungarian patriots rose up, many giving their lives in the pursuit of freedom. Known as the Hungarian Revolution, those actions in the autumn of 1956 gave the world a view of hope behind the Iron Curtain and inspired others in the region to resist the tyranny of the Soviet regime.
Photo right: Patrons and clerks at a local store got a grandstand view of the action as men of the Hungarian revolutionary forces take aim at members of the Communist secret police, on November 2, 1956, during an anti-Communist uprising in Budapest, Hungary. The mass revolt was later crushed as Soviet troops and tanks encircled and captured the Hungarian capital and several other cities. (AP Photo)
This year, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising, the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, other Embassies, and international organizations co-sponsored a 2-day conference to recognize those who gave their lives and those who continued the fight that led to the eventual fall of the Iron Curtain. Freedom fighters, political prisoners, refugees, diplomats, writers, educators, and ordinary citizens gathered to remember those historical events with a look to the future and as "a memento of international solidarity provided for those who fight for freedom and democracy." Read more about the conference on the official website: http://www.1956andhungary.hu/
Photo above: Hungarian rebels waved the Hungarian flag from a Soviet tank captured in the main square in front of the houses of parliament in Budapest in this Nov. 2, 1956 photo. Hungarians will soon be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the revolution. The uprising began on October 23, 1956 with demonstrations against the stalinist regime in Budapest and was crushed 11 days later by Soviet tanks amid bitter fighting. Some 2500 people were killed and a further 200,000 forced into exile. (AP Photo)
Tens of thousands of Hungarians fled Hungary in the 1950's, many coming to the United States to start anew. They became part of America and made huge contributions. And, as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary April Foley said, "Today, the lessons of 1956 inspire new generations. Hungary now supports the freedom of others
– from the Balkans to Afghanistan to Iraq and beyond."
Photo right: A group of Hungarian refugees, their children in their arms or on their shoulders and back, crossed the Austrian-Hungarian border into Austria, November 22, 1956, fleeing the Soviet invasion. They are virtually without possessions of any kind. In the background is a Hungarian observation tower. (AP Photo)
More Information
Hungary Background Note
U.S. Department of State's Hungary Country Page
"The Lost Convoy From Budapest," Foreign Service Journal, September 1957.
"Hungarian Patriot: Man of the Year," Time Magazine, January 7, 1957.
Michener, James. The Bridge at Andau. Random House, 1957.
About the Author: Janice Clark was a toddler living in Budapest in 1956. Her father, Robert A. Clark, Jr., was a Foreign Service Officer working in the U.S. Embassy. When the situation deteriorated that fall, he led a convoy of Americans, including Janice, her sisters, their mother, and many other families, out of Hungary. The convoy was stopped by Soviet soldiers at the Austro-Hungarian border, and the group was forced to spend two nights in a school with very few supplies, until Mr. Clark negotiated with Soviet soldiers to let them continue on to Vienna, Austria. Clark's family returned to the U.S. to live, until their next overseas assignment to Jakarta, Indonesia.
