Hungarians Fight Back with
American Arms
by Jeff Provine
Author
says: we're very pleased to present a new story from Jeff Provine's
excellent blog This
Day in Alternate History. Please note that the opinions expressed in
this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
November 4th 1956,
Please click the
icon to follow us on Twitter.on this day Hungarians began to fight
back with American Arms.
In the postlude to World War II, Soviet occupation forces came to dominate
Eastern Europe. Churchill described the separation from the West as an
Iron Curtain in 1946, and, in the decade following, Hungary had suffered
under Stalinistic rule.
In 1956, what began as a demonstration by students became a nation-wide
rebellion against Soviet authority. The students rallied around the statue
of Hungarian hero Jozef Bem, cut the Soviet emblem from the Hungarian
flag, read manifestos, sang, and began to march on Budapest's radio center.
As they approached, the students were fired upon by the State Security
Police with tear gas and live ammunition. The protestors retaliated,
overwhelmed the police, and the Soviet-inspired government collapsed
almost overnight.
Working to maintain what order they could, Soviet tanks surrounded the
Parliament, and reformist Imre Nagy (pictured) was given the place of the
ousted prime minister, Andres Hegedus. Nagy called for an end to violence,
but Molotov cocktails and what few weapons the people had were used on the
police. Soviet forces stayed disengaged, seeking only to protect what
little of the government was still in place. Throughout the country,
rebels took over local government and began hurried elimination of Soviet
emblems. On October 28, an uneasy armistice was declared, though often
interrupted, and Khrushchev announced that the Soviet Union would remain
only to defend Russian interests before withdrawal.
While the new Hungarian government seemed hopeful, the Soviets began plans
to intervene. Khrushchev met with leaders of other communist nations in
Eastern Europe, and it was said that Mao Zedong had given the
recommendation to crush the rebellion. The United States was frozen in a
neutral position due to the ongoing affair at the Suez Canal where they
had allowed British and French intervention. The Eisenhower Administration
knew it could not very well support international military efforts in
Egypt then condemn it in Hungary, but raucous opinion from the press
drowned out VP Nixon's more diplomatic approach. It was finally decided
that, although not full military support, covert delivery of tank-busting
rockets and small artillery mortars would be made. Though there was little
time for training, the weapons were delivered by train and spread through
the newly founded militias.
On November 1, Soviet tanks began to penetrate Hungary and move toward
Budapest. Nagy and his cabinet responded by announcing Hungary's
withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact, calling for the removal of Soviet troops,
and appealing for United Nations support in maintaining neutrality. The
political actions proved ineffective, and, in the early hours of November
4, the Soviets launched Operation Whirlwind with 17 divisions storming
eastern Hungary. The militias gave a sudden and impressive counterattack,
but the armored Soviets pushed through into Pest. Without orders from
higher authority, Hungarian freedom fighters demolished the bridges by
explosives and small-scale artillery, halting the Soviet advance at the
Danube River.
Nagy praised his fellow countrymen via radio and called for resistance on
the eastern side of Hungary. Soviet supply lines became cut repeatedly,
and the need for defense hindered any attempt to make headway into
territory. As November dragged on, the invasion stalemated, and
international cries of foul play began to rise against Russia. Spain led
the way in boycotting the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, along with the
Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and more. Combined with the boycott by
the Arab states because of military action at the Suez Canal and the
Chinese boycott due to Formosa (Taiwan), it would be the least-attended
Olympics in years with only 2,459 athletes, one-half of the originally
planned participants.
As the Suez Crisis came to an end with Egyptian control of the Canal, the
signal seemed to spread that small nations would not ascribe to
imperialism any longer. Hungary became revitalized with international
support, and the Soviets began discussions of drawing demilitarized zones,
but Nagy refused. In 1958, the spirit of rebellion broke throughout the
Warsaw Pact, and Russia suddenly saw itself losing the influence gained
after the Second World War. Khruschev manipulated political damage
control, breaking satellite nations away from Russia while keeping the
Soviet Union itself intact, though severely weakened.
In his inaugural address, John F. Kennedy admitted that the Cold War had
not ended, but said that the world had reached a new balance beyond a
fallen Iron Curtain. America was not the unquestionable leader of the
post-colonial world, although it now stood ahead of the rest, and he
invited them to work together with, "My fellow citizens of the world: ask
not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the
freedom of man". Freedom, specifically capitalistic freedom, would win the
day as the strength of Communism continued to wane.
Author
says in reality the United States acted on the behalf of Hungary only
with a failed recommendation to discuss the issue at the United Nations
Security Council. A later resolution would be produced by the General
Assembly, but by then the affirmed Kadar government refused UN interference.
Soviet purges would roll through Hungary, adding thousands more to the death
toll already created during the fighting in the revolution as well as
arrests and the flight of some 200,000 refugees. Though there was
international denouncement, Hungary would remain under Soviet influence
until its collapse in 1989. To view guest historian's comments on this post
please visit the
Today in Alternate History web site.
Jeff Provine, Guest Historian of
Today in Alternate History, a Daily Updating Blog of Important Events In
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Imagine what would be, if history had occurred a bit
differently. Who says it didn't, somewhere? These fictional news items
explore that possibility. Possibilities such as America becoming a Marxist
superpower, aliens influencing human history in the 18th century and Teddy
Roosevelt winning his 3rd term as president abound in this interesting
fictional blog.
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