1956 events in the USSR. Tbilisi events (1956)

"Tbilisi events" or "Tbilisi demonstrations" of March 1956 became the first major protest since 1924. These were not so much the consequences of dissatisfaction with something, but rather the consequences of a misunderstanding of the “party line” and the inability of the party leadership to competently explain what was happening.

On February 25, 1956, Khrushchev read his famous report on the cult of personality. Stalin was accused of excesses and some emphasis was placed on his Georgian origin.

...And all this was done under the “brilliant” leadership of Stalin - “the great son of the Georgian people,” as the Georgians liked to call their fellow countryman. (Movement in the hall.)

In the report, Khreshchev does not say anything against the Georgian SSR, and even on the contrary, he argues that there can be nothing anti-Soviet in Georgia. But the very fact of discussing Georgia in the context of this report in those years looked suspicious. The air smelled of an anti-Georgian campaign. Meanwhile, a whole generation of Stalinists had already been raised in Georgia, for whom the cult of Stalin became a kind of legal version of nationalism.

In 1956, what was happening looked scary. Everyone remembered the deportation of Meskhetians, Armenians, Greeks, Balkars and Chechens. Everyone understood that any people could be deported to Siberia just like that, without any apparent reason - like the Armenians in 1949. People were very intimidated.

On March 5, mourning events were usually held, but this time they did not happen - which greatly surprised the population. Then people themselves went to the monument to Stalin on the Kura embankment with wreaths and flowers. Now this monument is gone, in its place there is just a round flowerbed. But everything happened right here.

On March 6 at 16:00 Mzhavanadze spoke before the party leadership and read them a closed letter about the cult of personality. This was information for internal use, but in the form of rumors it immediately began to spread throughout the city. The rallies immediately took on a more massive and aggressive character.

On March 8, almost 3,000 people gathered - mostly students. The protesters began to formulate demands on the government. These were a kind of proposals for the development of Stalinism, which were more than inappropriate in those days: they demanded to declare March 9 a non-working day, raise a balloon with a portrait of Stalin, restore the Stalin Prize, return the name “Stalin” to the constitution, call May 9 the day of Stalin’s victory, and so on Further. At the same time, it was proposed to rename the city of Samtredia to Dzhugashvili.

On the same day, the protesters decided to communicate with Zhu De, the Chinese marshal and deputy of Mao Tse Tung, who was in Tbilisi, and went to see him in Krtsanisi. The police and soldiers tried to stop the crowd at the Maidan and then at the Ortachal hydroelectric power station, but there were too few of them, and the crowd broke through to Krtsanisi. Zhu De came out to the protesters, said “Long live the party of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin!”, promised to continue the conversation the next day - and fled to Moscow.

Students searched all over the city for Mzhavanadze, but he avoided talking and promised to explain everything, but did not explain. He did appear at one rally, but with his knowledge of the Georgian language it had the opposite effect. ( Shevardnadze later recalled: “At first, when he spoke at the rally, it calmed people to some extent, but the trouble was that Mzhavanadze hardly spoke Georgian. He spoke, said a few words. This caused laughter. And already there was no point in his presence.")

Nothing criminal happened, but it became clear to the leadership that day that unarmed soldiers could not do anything. And it was decided to arm them.

On March 9, the rally continued, and 30 or 40 thousand people had already gathered. Someone decided to send a telegram to Molotov and people headed to the House of Communications on Rustaveli Avenue (opposite the Tbilisi Hotel). What happened next is not entirely clear. According to one version, the crowd rushed to storm the House of Communications. According to another, only a few people went into the House and were captured, and the crowd rushed to free them. And then the soldiers opened fire with machine guns. They shot from the windows of the House of Communications along Rustaveli Avenue in front of the hotel, in front of the Gymnasium and the Kashveti Temple. Professor Nurbey Gulia later recalled how he hid from bullets behind the Ninoshvili monument (to this day it stands to the left of the National Gallery) and then ran away down through the Alexander Garden.

On this day, 15 people died, and 7 more died later in the hospital. 200 or 300 people were arrested, including three dozen party communists and more than a hundred Komsomol members.

Unrest also took place in Kutaisi, where Eduard Shevardnadze, at that time the head of the Kutaisi Komsomol, was located. Several thousand people gathered, Shevardnadze spoke several times with explanations, and in the end it did not come to shooting.

Mzhavanadze had the opportunity to relieve tension if he had communicated with the people before March 9. After the shooting, he had to make some efforts to calm the people. The death toll was underestimated, the party's position was gently explained, and serious unrest was avoided. Khrushchev swore at Mzhavanadze very strongly, but did not punish his personal friend. But the second secretary (Mikhail Georgadze), although he made some efforts (participated in negotiations with Zhu De), was removed. In Georgia, Khrushchev was disliked and the first dissidents began to appear.

During the March unrest, future fighters against Soviet power - Gamsakhurdia and Kostava - were present among the students. They came under surveillance and were arrested in December of that year. And Gamsakhurdia’s father completed his famous novel “The Hand of the Great Master” that year.

On the building of the House of Communications, on the wall facing the 1st gymnasium, there is now a black memorial plaque in memory of those events.

Operation Baikal...

On February 2, 1956, the first launch of a rocket with an R5M nuclear warhead was carried out from the Kapustin Yar test site - Operation Baikal.
R-5 is a Soviet liquid-fueled single-stage ground-launched medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM).
The lead developer is OKB-1. Adopted into service in 1955.
The development of the nuclear industry in the USSR and the accumulated experience of Soviet designers in creating ballistic missiles made it possible in the early 1950s to begin designing a missile with a nuclear warhead. So, in April 1954, on the basis of the R-5 ballistic missile, teams of design bureaus and research institutes headed by S.P. Korolev, work began on the creation of a new missile designed to deliver nuclear warheads to a target. First of all, the modernization affected the missile's combat equipment, propulsion system and control system.
At the request of the military, the designers were looking for ways to increase the combat capabilities of this type of weapon. And, of course, a lot of effort went into developing the nuclear warhead of the rocket, which was supposed to be separated from the main body at the final stage of the flight. As a result, in less than a year, a single-stage tactical ballistic missile (long-range ballistic missile) was created, designated R-5M. Its flight tests took place at the Kapustin Yar training ground. The first test launch of the R-5M missile, but without a nuclear charge, but with a conventional warhead, took place here on January 20, 1955.
During the year, a whole series of launches of this type of missile, equipped with a warhead simulator, was carried out. And so, on February 2, 1956, an important historical event took place - on that day the first experimental launch of a ballistic missile R-5M (8K51) with a warhead equipped with a nuclear warhead was carried out. This operation was called “Baikal”, which became the first full-scale full-scale test of nuclear missile weapons. Launching from the special site “4N” of the Kapustin Yar test site, covering a distance of 1200 km, the rocket followed a given course and safely reached the design point in the Aral Karakum region.
After the impact fuse was triggered, the planned ground atomic explosion with a yield of 80 kt occurred. The conditional target was hit with amazing accuracy for those times. Since the tests were successful, in June of the same year, by government decree, the medium-range ballistic missile R-5M (8K51) was adopted by the engineering brigades of the RVGK - 24 missile systems were put on combat duty, and the following year their number doubled. By the way, there were no more launches of the R-5M with a full-scale nuclear charge. Although it should be noted that the actual readiness to use these weapons was achieved later.
The power of a nuclear warhead of 80 Kt in subsequent products was increased to 300 Kt. The designers managed to completely automate the launch process (this was due to the presence of nuclear weapons on board), but pre-launch preparations were still time-consuming. Nevertheless, even the purely military significance of the R-5M was great - after all, units armed with this missile became the most important striking force in the European and Far Eastern theaters of military operations. And with the deployment of these missiles, the concept of operating nuclear missile weapons was practically worked out for the first time and the problems of their combat use were theoretically solved.
In addition, it is believed that the R-5M missile launched the “birth” of a new type of Armed Forces - the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces). At the very beginning, military units operating warheads and nuclear warheads functioned as part of so-called field special assembly brigades under engineering divisions. By the end of the 1950s, the brigades were transformed into engineering regiments, which in 1959 were included in the combat composition of the newly formed special military units - the Strategic Missile Forces. By the way, in addition to the armed forces, the R-5M missile was widely used for scientific research and for the creation of new rocket and space technology systems.
The R-5M remained in service until 1959, when it was replaced by the new, more advanced R-12 missile, then a gradual reduction of the R-5M complexes began, and their final removal from combat duty occurred in 1968.

1956 who? 1956 is the year of what animal? 1956 is the year of the Red Fire Monkey, one of the most interesting and cheerful animals, multifaceted and in many ways similar to ourselves. The monkey is a smart, rather eccentric animal, loves attention and therefore always tries to be the center of attention.

The Red Fire Monkey is restless, proud, curious, passionate, even a little aggressive, she always tries to win the respect of others. It is very important for her to be the first in everything; she always strives forward and does not stop there. She always sets many goals for herself, which are not at all difficult for her to achieve, because she is very smart and energetic, and at the same time she has a very good business sense.

The Fire Monkey never gives up; she believes that any problem can be solved. You can rely on her, but your desires and interests must coincide. The Fire Monkey is not the most faithful partner in a love relationship, as she really loves new sensations and emotions.

In the year of the Red Fire Monkey, you must always be prepared for any surprises. In the business sector this year you will often have to make risky deals; luck will go to the most dexterous businessman who knows how to adapt to any situations and conditions.

In the sphere of personal relationships, everything will also be unpredictable. This year will be a real test for lovers; only true love can withstand all the tests of the Fire Monkey. In order for your life to improve this year, you need to add romance and flirtation to your life. The year will be full of love affairs, but it will not be rich in legal marriages.

The Monkey is in great demand among the opposite sex. She is faithful and always devoted to her partner. Home and family always come first for the Monkey. She is a good mother and wife who keeps and protects her home and her love. She chooses a worthy and faithful life partner as her husband. And if she really wants this, then she will definitely meet her love, dreaming of a strong and large family.

Those born this year always strive to open new paths. The inventive approach, coupled with the flexibility and curiosity of the Monkey, leads to good results in the field of research. Since the Monkey is a tireless worker, material success is guaranteed in the chosen field of activity.

The positive traits inherent in the Monkey are persistence, curiosity, and confidence in their knowledge and strengths. All these qualities will help you achieve your goals in the coming year, but you should not become too selfish, forgetting about others, as this can only lead to difficulties in relationships with your loved ones and best friends.

Of course, the Monkey also has negative traits, such as arrogance, superficiality, cunning and vanity. You need to learn to see your bad sides and qualities and put yourself in your place in time.

Important and large-scale events often happen in the Year of the Monkey. This happens not only in the life of an individual, but also in the history of entire states.

In 1956, an uprising against the communist regime took place in Hungary, which in the USSR was called a “counter-revolutionary rebellion.” At that time, Matyas Rakosi, a great admirer of Stalin and a lover of persecuting people for any dissent and sending them to camps, was in power in Hungary. His draconian policies were very unpopular among the Hungarians (but generally suited the Soviet authorities). Therefore, an attempt to overthrow him resulted in the intervention of Soviet troops and the bloody suppression of the rebellion. Among the Hungarians that year, 2,652 rebels died, 348 civilians died, and 19,226 were wounded.

I found some good material for you about how it was. Below the cut are only official documents and archival photographs.

Information from the USSR Ministry of Defense to the CPSU Central Committee on the situation in Hungary as of 12.00 on November 4, 1956.

Special folder. Sov. secret. Ex. No. 1

At 6:15 a.m. November 4th Soviet troops began an operation to restore order and restore people's democratic power in Hungary.

Acting according to a pre-planned plan, our units captured the main strongholds of the reaction in the province, which were Győr, Miskolc, Gyöngyes, Debrecen, as well as other regional centers of Hungary.

During the operation, Soviet troops occupied the most important communications centers, including a powerful broadcast radio station in Szolnok, ammunition and weapons warehouses and other important military facilities.
Soviet troops operating in Budapest, having broken the resistance of the rebels, occupied the parliament buildings, the Central District of the VPT, as well as the radio station in the parliament area.

Three bridges across the river were captured. The Danube, connecting the eastern and western parts of the city, and an arsenal with weapons and ammunition. The entire composition of the counter-revolutionary government of Imre Nagy disappeared. A search is underway.

In Budapest, there remained one large center of rebel resistance in the area of ​​the Corvin cinema (south-eastern part of the city). The rebels defending this strong point were presented with an ultimatum to surrender; due to the rebels’ refusal to surrender, the troops began an assault.

The main garrisons of the Hungarian troops are blocked. Many of them laid down their arms without serious resistance. Our troops have been instructed to return to command the Hungarian officers removed by the rebels, and to arrest the officers appointed to replace those removed.

In order to prevent the penetration of enemy agents into Hungary and the escape of rebel leaders from Hungary, our troops occupied Hungarian airfields and firmly blocked all roads on the Austro-Hungarian border. The troops, continuing to carry out their assigned tasks, clear the territory of Hungary of rebels.

APRF. F. 3. Op. 64. D. 485.

Information from the USSR Ministry of Defense to the CPSU Central Committee on the situation in Hungary as of 9.00 on November 7, 1956.

During the night of November 7, Soviet troops continued to liquidate small groups of rebels in Budapest. In the western part of the city, our troops fought to destroy the center of resistance in the area of ​​​​the former Horthy Palace.

During the night, there was a regrouping of rebel forces in Budapest. Small groups tried to leave the city in a western direction. At the same time, a large center of resistance was identified in the area of ​​the city theater, the park east of this theater and in the adjacent neighborhoods.

It was calm in Hungary at night. Our troops carried out activities to identify and disarm rebel groups and individual Hungarian units.

The Government of the Hungarian People's Republic left Szolnok and arrived in Budapest at 6:10 a.m. on November 7. The troops continue to carry out their assigned tasks.

Note: "Comrade Khrushchev is familiar with it. Archive. 9.XI.56. Doluda."

AP RF. F. 3. Op. 64. D. 486.

Information from the USSR Ministry of Defense to the CPSU Central Committee on the situation in Hungary as of 9.00 on November 9, 1956.

Special folder Sov. secret. Ex. No. 1

During November 8, our troops restored order in Budapest, combed forests in certain areas of the country, caught and disarmed scattered small groups of rebels, and also confiscated weapons from the local population.

Regional military commandant's offices have been established in Budapest. Normal life is gradually improving in the country; a number of enterprises, urban transport, hospitals and schools have started operating. Local authorities are expanding their activities.

According to preliminary data, the losses of Soviet troops during the period of hostilities in Hungary from October 24 to November 6 this year. 377 people were killed, 881 people were wounded. Including 37 officers killed and 74 wounded.

Our troops disarmed about 35,000 Hungarians. A large number of weapons, military equipment and ammunition were captured during the fighting and taken under guard as a result of disarmament, the accounting of which continues.

Note: "Comrade Khrushchev is familiar with it. Archive. 10.IX.56. Doluda."

AP RF. F. 3. Op. 64. D. 486. L. 43.

Information from the USSR Ministry of Defense to the CPSU Central Committee on the situation in Hungary as of 9.00 on November 10, 1956.

Special folder Sov. secret. Ex. No. 1

During November 9, our troops continued to eliminate small groups of rebels, disarmed former soldiers of the Hungarian army, and also confiscated weapons from the local population.

A group of rebels put up stubborn resistance in the suburbs of Budapest - on the northern outskirts of the island of Csepel. In this area, three of our tanks were hit and burned.

The political situation in the country continues to improve. However, in some places hostile elements are still trying to prevent the restoration of order and normalization of life in the country.

The situation in Budapest continues to be difficult, where the population lacks food and fuel. The government of Janos Kadar, together with the Command of the Soviet Forces, is taking measures to provide the population of Budapest with food.

Note: "Comrade Khrushchev reported. Archive. 10.XI.56. Doluda."

AP RF. F. 3. Op. 64. D. 486. L. 96.

Telephone message from I.A. Serova from Budapest N.S. Khrushchev about the operational work carried out by the Soviet and Hungarian state security agencies

To the Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Comrade. Khrushchev N.S.

Yesterday, the Minister of Public Security, Comrade Münnich, sent an order to regional organizations, in which he indicated that state security bodies were being created locally, contrary to government prohibitions. Therefore, he orders all employees of the state security agencies to stop work on the formation of bodies and go home.

Considering that the special departments of the divisions carry out all the work on seizing counter-revolutionary rebels through the Hungarian employees of the state security agencies, who appeared after the occupation of cities by units of the Soviet Army, today I spoke with Comrade Münnich and asked how he further plans to carry out the work to identify and arrest the counter-revolutionary element after such an order.

Comrade Münnich answered me that he issued the directive on the basis of instructions from the government, as provided for in the Declaration of the Government.

After some time, Comrade Kadar came to Comrade Münnich’s office and said that he would also like to talk with me. During the conversation, Comrade Kadar focused on the following questions:

1. He had representatives of some regions, in particular the Salnok region, who told Kadar that the officers of the Soviet Army were arresting a lot and, along with the arrest of the counter-revolutionary element, they were also arresting ordinary participants in the insurgent movement.

He believes that this should not be done, since the people who participated in the rebel movement are very afraid of revenge from the government, while the Government Declaration stated that those who lay down their arms and stop resistance will not be punished. The Hungarian government should not retaliate or show cruelty against such persons.

The representative of the Salnok region told Comrade Kadar that when 40 people were arrested in the region, representatives from the workers came and said that they would not start working until the arrested were released. In other regions there were rumors that 6 thousand people were arrested in Salnok.

Comrade Kadar pointed out that the reactionaries are being arrested by former employees of the state security agencies, whom the government disbanded. It is not to our advantage in front of the people that state security officials in Hungary are involved in arrests. You must take into account that in our country the mood of the masses is of great importance. Soviet comrades and our state security officers with arrests can cause indignation among the masses.

I said that state security officials in Hungary are now doing positive work in rounding up counter-revolutionary rebels. After a few days, when those who pose a danger to the current government are isolated, then these employees should be transferred to other jobs. Comrade Kadar and Comrade Munnich agreed with this.

I explained to Comrade Kadar that special sections of the divisions were given instructions to arrest all the organizers of the rebellion, persons who resisted units of the Soviet Army with weapons in their hands, as well as citizens who incited and incited hatred of the people (during the Nagy government) towards communists and government officials state security, as a result of which some of them were shot, hanged and burned.

As for ordinary participants in the uprising, they are not arrested. Comrade Kadar and Comrade Munnich agreed that this instruction was correct.

I further added that it is possible that individuals who do not belong to the listed categories may be arrested. Therefore, all those arrested are carefully filtered and those who did not play an active role in the rebellion are released.

Taking into account the liberal attitude shown by the leading officials of Hungary towards the enemies, I instructed the special departments to quickly send all those arrested from the regions and cities to the Chop station, and also explained the issues of organizing the political department in the regions.

2. Further, Comrade Kadar said that in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Budapest), where a large number of state security officers are concentrated, an unhealthy situation has been created, since among the employees of the authorities there are people who worked in the authorities under Rakosi and played a negative role.

Therefore, he believes that these employees should be removed immediately and given other jobs. In addition, he considers it advisable to disband the security department, since these are dishonest people.

I expressed the wish that Comrade Münnich quickly issue an order, as we agreed, on the organization of the people's police and staff it with the most dedicated, honest employees, and also formalize a “political department” (state security department), which could begin work. Then this issue will be resolved.

At the same time, we agreed with Comrade Munnich that the political department of the center will have no more than 20-25 public employees, and the rest of the employees will be secret staff.

The political department will include: foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, secret political service, investigation and a special operational equipment service. Comrade Munnich said that he would sign such an order tomorrow. I will report on the number of those arrested by region and the weapons seized in a separate note.

AP RF. F. 3. Op. 64. D. 487. L. 78-80.

Telephone message from I.A. Serova and Yu.V. Andropov from Budapest to the CPSU Central Committee on sending arrested Hungarians to the territory of the USSR

Today, throughout the day, comrades Kadar and Munnich (each separately) called us repeatedly, who reported that the Soviet military authorities had sent a train of Hungarian youth to the Soviet Union (Siberia), who took part in the armed rebellion.

Kadar and Munnich stated in this regard that they do not approve of such actions on our part, since these actions allegedly caused a general strike of Hungarian railway workers and worsened the internal political situation in the country as a whole.

Tonight Budapest Radio named after. Kossuth conveyed a tendentious message about the export of Hungarian youth to Siberia. Comrade Münnich requested that the command of the Soviet troops make an official statement in the press that it had not and would not export anyone from Hungary to the USSR. On our part, Comrade Münnich was told that we would find out this question and tell him the answer tomorrow.

In fact, today, November 14, a small train with arrested persons was sent to the Chop station, the investigation cases on which were registered as active participants and organizers of the armed rebellion. The echelon followed the border.

As the train moved, prisoners at two stations threw notes out the window, informing them that they were being sent to Siberia. These notes were picked up by Hungarian railway workers, who reported this to the government. Our line has given instructions to henceforth send those arrested in closed cars under reinforced escort.

Tomorrow, when meeting with Comrade Münnich, Comrade Serov intends to tell him that due to the lack in Hungary of a prison sufficiently prepared to hold prisoners, where it would be possible to ensure an objective investigation, we had in mind to place a small group of arrested persons in a room close to Soviet-Hungarian border. Comrades Suslov and Aristov have been informed about this.

Andropov

AP RF. F. 3. Op. 64. D. 486. L. 143-144.

Reference

According to statistics, in connection with the uprising and fighting between October 23 and December 31, 1956, 2,652 Hungarian rebels were killed, 348 civilians were killed, and 19,226 people were injured.

The losses of the Soviet army, according to official data, amounted to 669 people killed, 51 missing and 1251 wounded.

According to official data, the losses of the Hungarian People's Army amounted to 53 killed and 289 wounded military personnel.

The total amount of lost military equipment is unknown.

2nd Guards MD, which was the first to enter the rebellious Budapest, lost 4 tanks on October 24, 1956.
During Operation Whirlwind, the 33rd MD lost 14 tanks and self-propelled guns, 9 armored personnel carriers, 13 guns, 4 MLRS, 6 anti-aircraft guns and other equipment, as well as 111 military personnel.

According to Hungarian communist sources, after the liquidation of the armed groups, a large number of Western-made weapons fell into the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and police forces: German MP-44 assault rifles and American Thompson submachine guns.

Budapest suffered as a result of street fighting between Soviet troops and rebels, 4,000 houses in the city were completely destroyed and another 40,000 were damaged.

Events in Hungary in 1956 led to a large-scale revolt, which the Soviet army was brought in to suppress. The Hungarian Autumn became one of the largest regional conflicts of the Cold War, in which the intelligence services of both the USSR and the USA took part. Today we will try to understand the events of those days, and also try to understand the reasons.

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Role of Yugoslavia

The beginning of events should be dated back to 1948, when relations between Stalin and Tito (leader of Yugoslavia) finally deteriorated. The reason is that Tito demanded complete political independence. As a result, countries began to prepare for a possible war, and the Soviet command was developing a plan to enter the war from the territory of Hungary.

In May 1956, Yuri Andropov received information (he immediately forwarded it to Moscow) that Yugoslav agents and intelligence were actively working against the USSR in Hungary.

The Yugoslav Embassy played a significant role against the Soviet Union and the current Hungarian government.

Dmitry Kapranov, cryptographer of the Special Corps of the USSR Army in Hungary

If back in 1948 there was a confrontation between Tito and Stalin, then in 1953 Stalin passed away and Tito began to aim for the role of leader of the Soviet bloc. Behind him was a very strong army of Yugoslavia, military assistance agreements with NATO and economic assistance agreements with the United States. Realizing this, in the summer of 1956, Khrushchev traveled to Belgrade, where Marshal Tito set the following conditions for normalizing relations between the countries:

• Yugoslavia pursues an independent policy.
• Yugoslavia continues its partnership with the US and NATO.
• The USSR stops criticizing the Tito regime.

Formally, this is where the disagreement ended.

The role of the Hungarian communists

The peculiarity of the development of post-war Hungary is the complete copying of the USSR, starting in 1948. This copying was so stupid and widespread that it applied to literally everything: from the economic model to the uniform of soldiers in the army. Moreover, the Hungarian communists began to carry out absolutely extreme measures (this is generally a characteristic feature of communists at the beginning of their rule) - mass Russification: flag, coat of arms, language, and so on. This is what, for example, the coat of arms of the Hungarian People's Republic (Hungarian People's Republic) looked like in 1956.

Of course, the coat of arms, flag, language, and clothing in themselves did not cause discontent, but all together they significantly damaged the pride of the Hungarians. Moreover, the problem was worsened by economic reasons. Rakosi's party simply copied the model of economic development of the USSR, completely ignoring the peculiarities of Hungary. As a result, the post-war economic crisis is becoming stronger every year. Only constant financial assistance from the USSR saves us from economic chaos and collapse.

In fact, in the period 1950-1956 in Hungary there was a struggle between the communists: Rakosi against Nagy. Moreover, Imre Nagy was much more popular.

Nuclear horse-drawn horse and its role

In June 1950, the United States knew for certain that the USSR had an atomic bomb, but very little uranium. Based on this information, US President Truman issues directive NSC-68, demanding to cause and support unrest in the satellite countries of the USSR. Countries identified:

• German Democratic Republic.
• Hungarian People's Republic.
• Czechoslovakia.

What do these countries have in common? There are two such features: firstly, they were geographically located on the border of the western zone of influence; secondly, all three countries had fairly large uranium mines. Therefore, destabilization and separation of these countries from Soviet patronage is the US plan to curb the nuclear development of the USSR.

US role

The active stage of work on creating a rebellion began after March 5, 1953 (the date of Stalin’s death). Already in June, the CIA approved the “Day X” plan, according to which uprisings began in a number of large cities of the GDR and in the city of Ger (uranium mines). The plan failed, and the uprising was very quickly suppressed, but this was only a preparation for more “grand” events.

The National Security Council (NSC) of the United States adopts Directive No. 158 on June 29, 1953. This document was declassified quite recently and its main meaning is the following - to support resistance to communism by all means so that no one doubts the spontaneity of these actions. The second important order under this directive is to organize, supply with everything necessary and train underground organizations capable of conducting long-term military operations. These are 2 directions that were reflected in the events in Hungary in 1956, and which are still in effect today. Suffice it to recall the recent events in Kyiv.

An important detail: in the summer of 1956, Eisenhower made a statement that the post-war division of the world was no longer relevant, and it needed to be divided in a new way.

Operations Focus and Prospero

"Focus" and "Prospero" are secret operations of the American intelligence agencies during the Cold War. In many ways, it was these operations that gave birth to Hungary 1956. These operations were aimed at Poland and Hungary with the goal of turning the local population against the USSR and providing the local population with everything they needed to fight for “independence.”

In May 1956, a new radio station (Radio Free Europe) began operating near Munich, aimed exclusively at Hungary. The radio station was financed by the CIA and continuously broadcast to Hungary, conveying the following things:

• America is the most powerful country in the world in all components.
• Communism is the worst form of government, which is the source of all troubles. Therefore, it is the source of the USSR’s problems.
• America always supports peoples fighting for independence.

This was the preparation of the population. With the beginning of the revolution in Hungary (October - November 1956), the radio station began broadcasting the program “Special Armed Forces,” which told the Hungarians exactly how to fight against the Soviet army.

Along with the beginning of radio broadcasting, propaganda leaflets and radios were transported from the territory of Germany and Austria in balloons to Hungary. The flow of balloons was great, which confirms the following fact. On February 8 and July 28, Endre Sak sent notes of protest to the US Embassy. The last note states that since February 1956, 293 balloons have been seized, and because of their flights, 1 plane crashed and its crew died. In this regard, the Hungarians even warned international companies about the dangers of flying over the country. The response from the US Embassy is indicative - “private companies” are to blame for everything, and the US authorities have nothing to do with it. The logic is wild and today, by the way, it is also often used (private organizations do dirty work, including military work), but why is no one investigating the financing of these organizations? Mystery. After all, not a single private company will buy balloons with its own money, print leaflets, purchase radios, open a radio station and send all this to Hungary. For a private company, profit is important, that is, someone must finance all this. This funding leads to Operation Prospero.

The goal of Operation Focus was to overthrow socialism in Eastern Europe. The final stage of the operation begins on October 1, 1956, at the Radio Free Europe base. Propaganda in broadcasts is intensifying and the main motive of all speeches is to start a movement against the USSR. Several times a day the phrase is heard: “The regime is not as dangerous as you think. The people have hope!

Internal political struggle in the USSR

After Stalin's death, a struggle for power began, which Khrushchev won. This man’s further steps, not directly, but provoked anti-Soviet sentiments. This was due to the following:

• Criticism of Stalin's personality cult. This immediately weakened the international position of the USSR, which was recognized, including in the United States, which, on the one hand, announced a respite in the Cold War, and on the other hand, further intensified secret operations.
• Execution of Beria. This is not the most obvious reason for the Hungarian events of 1956, but it is a very important one. Along with the execution of Beria, thousands of state security agents were fired (arrested, shot). These were people who had been stabilizing the situation for years and had their own agents. After they were removed, the state security positions became noticeably weaker, including in terms of counter-revolutionary and counter-terrorism activities. Returning to the personality of Beria - it was he who was the patron of “Volodya” Imre Nagy. After the execution of Beria, Nagy was expelled from the party and removed from all posts. This is important to remember to understand future events. In fact, because of this, starting in 1955, Nagy ceased to be controlled by the USSR and began to look towards the West.

Chronology of events

Above we examined in some detail what preceded the events in Hungary in 1956. Now let's focus on the events of October-November 1956, since this is the most important thing, and it was during this time that the armed uprising happened.

In October, numerous rallies began, the main driving force of which were students. This is generally a characteristic feature of many riots and revolutions of recent decades, when everything begins with peaceful demonstrations of students and ends with bloodshed. There are 3 main demands at the rallies:

• Appoint Imre Nagy as head of government.
• Introduce political freedoms in the country.
• Withdraw Soviet troops from Hungary.
• Stop the supply of uranium to the USSR.

Even before the start of active rallies, numerous journalists from different countries come to Hungary. This is a big problem, since it is often impossible to draw the line between who is a real journalist and who is a professional revolutionary. There are many indirect facts indicating that at the end of the summer of 1956, a large number of revolutionaries entered Hungary along with journalists and took an active part in subsequent events. Hungarian state security allowed everyone into the country.

On October 23, 1956, at 15:00, a demonstration began in Budapest, the main driving force of which were students. Almost immediately the idea appears to go to the radio station so that the demands of the protesters are announced on the radio. As soon as the crowd approached the radio station building, the situation moved from the stage of a rally to the stage of revolution - armed people appeared in the crowd. A key role in this was played by Sandor Kopacz, the chief of police of Budapest, who goes over to the side of the rebels and opens military warehouses for them. Then the Hungarians begin to attack and seize radio stations, printing houses, and telephone exchanges in an organized manner. That is, they began to take control of all means of communication and media.

Late in the evening of October 23, an emergency meeting of the Party Central Committee takes place in Moscow. Zhukov continues that a 100,000-strong demonstration is taking place in Budapest, the radio station building is on fire, and shots are heard. Khrushchev proposes sending troops to Hungary. The plan was as follows:

• Imre Nagy will be returned to the government. This was important because the protesters demanded it, and this way it was possible to calm them down (as Khrushchev mistakenly thought).
• 1 tank division needs to be brought into Hungary. This division will not even need to enter the events, since the Hungarians will get scared and run away.
• Control was entrusted to Mikoyan.

Colonel Grigory Dobrunov's reconnaissance unit is given the order to send tanks to Budapest. It was already said above that Moscow expected rapid advance of the army and absence of resistance. Therefore, the order to the tank company was given “Don’t shoot.” But events in Hungary in October 1956 developed rapidly. Already at the entrance to the city, the Soviet army encountered active resistance. The rebellion, which they say arose spontaneously and from students, lasted less than a day, but fortifications were already organized in the area, and well-organized groups of armed people were created. This is a clear sign indicating that events in Hungary were being prepared. Actually, this is why the article contains analytical reports and CIA programs.

This is what Colonel Dobrunov himself says about the entrance to the city.

When we entered the city, our first tank was soon shot down. The wounded driver jumped out of the tank, but they caught him and wanted to burn him alive. Then he took out the F-1, pulled the pin and blew himself and them up.

Colonel Dobrunov

It became clear that the “don’t shoot” order was impossible to carry out. Tank troops are moving forward with difficulty. By the way, the use of tanks in the city is a huge mistake of the Soviet military command. This mistake occurred in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and much later in Grozny. Tanks in the city are an ideal target. As a result, the Soviet army loses approximately 50 people killed every day.

Aggravation of the situation

October 24 Imre Nagy speaks on the radio and calls on fascist provocateurs to lay down their arms. This is in particular reported in declassified documents.

On October 24, 1956, Nagy was already head of the Hungarian government. And this man calls the armed people in Budapest and other regions of the country fascist provocateurs. In the same speech, Nagy stated that Soviet troops were sent into Hungary at the request of the government. That is, by the end of the day the position of the Hungarian leadership was clear: the army was brought in at the request - civilians with weapons are fascists.

At the same time, another strong figure appeared in Hungary - Colonel Pal Maleter. During World War 2, he fought against the USSR, was captured and collaborated with Soviet intelligence, for which he was later awarded the Order of the Red Star. On October 25, this man with 5 tanks arrived at the “Kilian Barracks” to suppress the uprising near the Corwin cinema (one of the main strongholds of the rebels), but instead joined the rebels. At the same time, agents of Western intelligence agencies are intensifying their work in Hungary. Here is one example, based on declassified documents.

On October 26, Colonel Dobrunov’s group approaches the Hungarian Korvin cinema, where they capture the “tongue”. According to testimony, it is in the cinema that the headquarters of the rebels is located. Dobrunov requests permission from the command to storm the building in order to destroy the main center of resistance and suppress the rebellion. The command is silent. The real chance to end the Hungarian events of the autumn of 1956 was missed.

By the end of October it becomes clear that the current troops are unable to cope with the rebellion. Moreover, Imre Nagy's position is becoming more and more revolutionary. He no longer speaks of the rebels as fascists. He prohibits Hungarian security forces from shooting at the rebels. It facilitates the transfer of weapons to civilians. Against this background, the Soviet leadership decides to withdraw troops from Budapest. On October 30, the Hungarian special corps of the Soviet army returned to its positions. During this time, only 350 people were killed.

On the same day, Nagy speaks to the Hungarians, declaring that the withdrawal of USSR troops from Budapest is his merit and the victory of the Hungarian revolution. The tone has already completely changed - Imre Nagy is on the side of the rebels. Pal Maleter is appointed Minister of Defense of Hungary, but there is no order in the country. It would seem that the revolution, albeit temporarily, was victorious, Soviet troops were withdrawn, Nagy is leading the country. All the demands of the “people” have been met. But even after the withdrawal of troops from Budapest, the revolution continues, and people continue to kill each other. Moreover, Hungary is splitting apart. Almost all army units refuse to carry out the orders of Nagy and Maleter. A confrontation arises between the leaders of the revolution in the struggle for power. Worker movements are being formed throughout the country against fascism in the country. Hungary is descending into chaos.

An important nuance - on October 29, Nagy dissolves the Hungarian State Security Service by his order.

Religious question

The issue of religion in the events of the Hungarian autumn of 1956 is little discussed, but it is very indicative. In particular, the position of the Vatican, voiced by Pope Pius 12, is indicative. He stated that the events in Hungary were a religious issue and called on the revolutionaries to fight for religion to the last drop of blood.

The United States takes a similar position. Eisenhower expresses full support for the rebels as they fight for “freedom” and calls for the appointment of Cardinal Mincenty as prime minister.

Events of November 1956

On November 1, 1956, there was actually a civil war in Hungary. Bela Kiraly and his troops destroy all those who disagree with the regime, people kill each other. Imre Nagy understands that maintaining power in such conditions is unrealistic and the bloodshed must be stopped. Then he makes a statement, guaranteeing:

• Withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungarian territory.
• Reorientation of the economy towards Western countries.
• Withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact agreements.

Nagy's statement changed everything. The first point did not cause Khrushchev any concern, but Hungary’s exit from the Department of Internal Affairs changed everything. During the Cold War, the loss of a zone of influence, also through rebellion, undermined the prestige of the USSR and the international position of the country. It became clear that the introduction of Soviet troops into Hungary was now a matter of a few days.

Operation Whirlwind

Operation Whirlwind to introduce the Soviet army into Hungary begins on November 4, 1956 at 6:00 am on the signal “Thunder”. The troops are commanded by the hero of the Second World War, Marshal Konev. The USSR army is advancing from three directions: from Romania in the south, from the USSR in the east and Czechoslovakia in the north. At dawn on November 4, units began to enter Budapest. Then something happened that actually revealed the cards of the rebellion and the interests of its leaders. Here, for example, is how the Hungarian leaders behaved after the entry of Soviet troops:

• Imre Nagy - took refuge in the Yugoslav embassy. Let us remember the role of Yugoslavia. It should also be added that Khrushchev consulted with Tito about the November 4 attack on Budapest.
• Cardinal Mincenty - took refuge in the US Embassy.
• Belai Kiraly gives the order to the rebels to hold out until the bitter end, and he himself goes to Austria.

On November 5, the USSR and the USA find common ground on the issue of the conflict on the Suez Canal, and Eisenhower assures Khrushchev that he does not consider the Hungarians as an ally and NATO troops will not be brought into the region. In fact, this was the end of the Hungarian rebellion in the fall of 1956 and Soviet troops cleared the country of armed fascists.

Why was the second troop entry more successful than the first?

The basis of the Hungarian resistance was the belief that NATO troops were about to come in and protect them. On November 4, when it became known that England and France were sending troops to Egypt, Hungary realized that they could not expect any help. Therefore, as soon as the Soviet troops entered, the leaders began to scatter. The rebels began to run out of ammunition, which the army depots no longer supplied them with, and the counter-revolution in Hungary began to fade away.

Mh2>Results

On November 22, 1956, Soviet troops carried out special operations and captured Nagy at the Yugoslav embassy. Imre Nagy and Pal Maleter were later convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. The leader of Hungary was Janas Kadar, one of Tito's closest associates. Kadar led Hungary for 30 years, making it one of the most developed countries of the socialist camp. In 1968, Hungarians took part in suppressing the rebellion in Czechoslovakia.

On November 6, the fighting in Budapest ended. There were only a few pockets of resistance left in the city, which were destroyed on November 8th. By November 11, the capital and most of the country were liberated. Events in Hungary developed until January 1957, when the last rebel groups were destroyed.

Losses of the parties

Official data on losses among soldiers of the Soviet army and the civilian population of Hungary for 1956 are presented in the table below.

It is very important to make reservations here. When we talk about losses in the USSR army, these are people who suffered specifically from the Hungarian population. When we talk about the losses of the civilian population of Hungary, only a minority of them suffered from USSR soldiers. Why? The fact is that in fact there was a civil war in the country, where fascists and communists destroyed each other. Proving this is quite simple. During the period between the withdrawal and re-entry of Soviet troops (this is 5 days, and the rebellion itself lasted 15 days), casualties continued. Another example is the seizure of a radio tower by rebels. Then it’s not that there were no Soviet troops in Budapest, even the Hungarian corps were not alerted. Nevertheless, there are human casualties. Therefore, there is no need to blame Soviet soldiers for all sins. This, by the way, is a big greeting to Mr. Mironov, who in 2006 apologized to the Hungarians for the events of 1956. The person apparently has no idea what really happened in those days.

Once again I want to remind you of the numbers:

• At the time of the rebellion, 500 thousand Hungarians had almost 4 years of experience in the war against the USSR on the side of Germany.
• 5 thousand Hungarians returned from a USSR prison. These are the people who were convicted of real atrocities against Soviet citizens.
• 13 thousand people were freed by the rebels from Hungarian prisons.

The victims of the Hungarian events of 1956 also include those who were killed and wounded by the rebels themselves! And the last argument is that the police and Hungarian communists took part in the storming of Bucharest on November 4, 1956, along with the Soviet army.

Who were the Hungarian “students”?

More and more often we hear that the events in Hungary in 1956 were an expression of the will of the people against communism, and that the main driving force were students. The problem is that in our country history is generally quite poorly known, and the Hungarian events remain a complete mystery for the vast majority of citizens. Therefore, let's understand the details and the position of Hungary in relation to the USSR. To do this we will need to go back to 1941.

On June 27, 1941, Hungary declares war on the USSR and enters World War II as an ally of Germany. The Hungarian army was little remembered on the battlefields, but it forever went down in history in connection with its atrocities against the Soviet people. Basically, the Hungarians “worked” in three regions: Chernigov, Voronezh and Bryansk. There are hundreds of historical documents testifying to the cruelty of the Hungarians against the local, Russian population. Therefore, we must clearly understand - Hungary from 1941 to 1945 was a fascist country even more than Germany! During the war, 1.5 million Hungarians took part in it. Approximately 700 thousand returned home after the end of the war. This was the foundation of the rebellion - well-trained fascists who were waiting for any opportunity to act against their enemy - the USSR.

In the summer of 1956, Khrushchev made a huge mistake - he released Hungarian prisoners from secular prisons. The problem was that he released people who had been convicted of real crimes against Soviet citizens. Thus, about 5 thousand people returned to Hungary, convinced Nazis who went through the war, are ideologically opposed to communism and know how to fight well.

Much can be said about the atrocities of the Hungarian Nazis. They killed a lot of people, but their favorite “fun” was hanging people by their legs from lampposts and trees. I don’t want to go into these details, I’ll just give you a couple of historical photographs.

Main characters

Imre Nagy has been the head of the Hungarian government since October 23, 1956. Soviet agent under the pseudonym "Volodya". On June 15, 1958 he was sentenced to death.

Mathias Rakosi is the head of the Hungarian Communist Party.

Endre Sik is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary.

Bela Kiraly is a Hungarian major general who fought against the USSR. One of the leaders of the rebels in 1956. Sentenced to death in absentia. Since 1991 he has lived in Budapest.

Pal Maleter - Minister of Defense of Hungary, Colonel. He went over to the side of the rebels. On June 15, 1958 he was sentenced to death.

Vladimir Kryuchkov - press attache of the Soviet embassy in Hungary in 1956. Formerly Chairman of the KGB.

Yuri Andropov is the USSR Ambassador to Hungary.