The Hungarian Revolution of 1956, commonly referred to as the “revolution and fight
for freedom” in Hungarian ( forradalom és szabad‐ságharc ), denotes the uprising of
a significant part of the Hungarian population and the ensuing armed struggle against
the Stalinist dictatorship and the Soviet occupation of Hungary. As one of the major
challenges to Soviet rule in Eastern Europe during the Cold War period, the Revolution
of 1956 is comparable in importance only to the Prague Spring and the emergence of
Solidarność (Solidarity) in Poland. François Fejtő memorably called the events the
first anti‐totalitarian revolution; Hannah Arendt saw in it a peaceful way to a self‐ruling
society organized through councils.
