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Reburial of Rajk László
After executed as inner enemy of MDP he was rehabilitated and reburied as it "turned out" he wasn't guilty of the crimes for which he was killed. This made people revalue the Rákosi-regime's terror and flaws and also meant a public event that started to move Hungarian society. -
The sixteen points
The 16 points was drafted by Hungarian students of MEFESZ. It contained the most important demands of the revolution mostly regarding the restoration of sovereignty and democratic rights. -
Solidaritary demonstration
In Poland Gomulka rose to power after the people demanded and this promised change in the harshness of the communist dictatorship. Hungarians wanted something similar and many gathered to express this. The weather was also warm and 200 000 people gathered. This escalated into the revolution. -
The revolution takes action
The crowd got encouraged by its size and took action. Some people dismantled the Stalin statue that symbolized the terror of the Rákosi regime while others sieged the radio station to spread the 16 points of the revolution. -
Armed uprising
Someone - most probably the communists - started to shoot, which escalated the movement quickly. Gerő and Nagy tried to discourage the mass and send them home but the revolution was already on. People stayed outside despite the lights turned out, cut the Rákosi coat of arm out of the flag and proceeded in the protest. At midnight Nagy Imre was appointed Prime Minister as an answer to the demonstration -
Fight for Budapest
Soviet troops started to occupy Budapest. Members of the ÁVH shot Soviet soldiers to provoke fight between the mass and the Soviets. In various parts of Budapest there were shootings, even in the countryside, ÁVH personell got lynched. Maléter Pál refused to fight against the revolutioneries, only collected their guns -
Apparent success
A ceasefire was made with the Soviets and the tanks turned around - for a while. Nagy Imre however, started to make reforms: established Hungarian councils of workers, ÁVH was abolished and a new goverment formed with plural figures. -
Escaping the Soviet block
Nagy Imre went further - further than should have. He declared that Hungary is out of the Warsaw Pact. Of course the Soviet Union could not let this happen and lose Hungary as it did Yugoslavia. Nagy probably believed the Americans or the UN would help but due to the Suez Canal Crisis our fate was already decided for the worse -
Turning point
Kádár and Maléter went to the Soviet Union to dicuss the Hungarian case but Maléter was arrested, Kádár was kidnapped. At 4 AM the Soviet tanks attacked Budapest and the Hungarian army didn't intervene. Nagy Imre and the goverment fled to Yugoslavia. -
Period: to
Putting the revolution down
From the 4th to the 11th of November there were still fights on the streets to stop the Soviets. Unfortunately there was no chance to win.