In 1956, Moscow agreed to withdraw its troops from Budapest. One week later, it launched a 60,000-soldier operation to crush Hungary’s revolution.

In 1956, Moscow agreed to withdraw its troops from Budapest. One week later, it launched a 60,000-soldier operation to crush Hungary’s revolution.

On October 23, 1956, hundreds of thousands of Budapest residents took to the streets to demand political reforms, free elections, and the withdrawal of Soviet troops. Peaceful demonstrations quickly turned into an armed uprising. Within days, Hungary was on the verge of leaving the Soviet bloc. The Soviet leadership initially agreed to make concessions and withdraw troops from the capital, but then reversed course. On November 4, the Soviet army launched a large-scale military operation that crushed the uprising. Thousands of people died, and about 200,000 Hungarians left the country. Western governments condemned Moscow’s actions but stopped short of intervening. Why did Hungarians rise up against the communist regime? What made Khrushchev abandon compromise? Could the United States and Europe have helped the insurgents? And why, 70 years later, do the events of 1956 still provoke political disputes in Hungary? Historian Alexey Uvarov answers these and other questions about the uprising.