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23 October 1956, was the day on which the Hungarian people's resentment of Soviet domination exploded into insurgency which quickly grew into a nationwide uprising. The uprising was suppressed by the Soviet Army, which had been occupying Hungary since the end of World War Two. The rebellion lasted for several weeks. It had broad support from most social classes in urban as well as rural areas of the country. During the conflict 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviet soldiers lost their lives. After the rebellion was put down, thousands of Hungarians were imprisoned in Hungary or taken into captivity by the Russians. Many of them were later charged with complicity in the uprising, tried, and sentenced to death or to varying lengths of imprisonment. During the days of conflict and in the following weeks, 200,000 Hungarians took advantage of porous border conditions and fled to neighbouring Austria. Eventually, most of these refugees moved to other countries that offered them refuge and a chance to start a new life in exile. In the post-Communist Hungarian calendar, October 23 is now a red-letter day, commemorating what happened on that day in 1956, and in the days that followed.

Days of chaos and fighting

October 23, 1956

The early morning edition of the Communist Party newspaper Szabad Nép (Free People), on October 23, carried a prominent headline: "Our Party and its newspaper stand by Youth" ... “We approve these meetings and wish every success to these wise, creative conferences of youth ... We greet this tremendous democratic pageant of youth.”