Hungary is marking one of the darkest days in its modern history on Wednesday, 4 November. Exactly 70 years ago, Soviet troops launched a full-scale military assault to crush the 1956 Revolution and freedom fight, ending the country’s brief hope of breaking free from communist rule.
The anniversary is being observed across Hungary, with memorial ceremonies, wreath-laying events and a national flag lowered to half-mast. This year’s commemorations also coincide with the publication of long-awaited communist-era state security records, commonly known as the agent files.
What happened on 4 November 1956?
The Hungarian Revolution began on 23 October 1956 with peaceful demonstrations against the communist dictatorship and Soviet occupation. The protests soon escalated into an armed uprising, as Hungarians demanded political freedom, national independence and the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
On 1 November, Prime Minister Imre Nagy declared Hungary’s neutrality and announced its withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. He also appealed to the international community for help.
The Soviet Union responded with a massive military operation. At dawn on 4 November, Soviet forces launched Operation Whirlwind, attacking Budapest, other major cities and key military installations. Nagy’s appeal was broadcast on Hungarian radio at 5:20 AM, informing the country and the world that Soviet troops had intervened.
Despite fierce resistance, the vastly superior Soviet forces gradually crushed the uprising. Fighting continued in parts of Budapest for days, with the last pockets of resistance defeated around 11 November.
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Thousands killed, followed by brutal reprisals
The human cost was devastating. According to a January 1957 report by Hungary’s Central Statistical Office, 2,652 people were killed and 19,226 injured between 23 October 1956 and 16 January 1957. Budapest alone accounted for 2,045 deaths and 16,700 injuries.
The Soviet military also suffered casualties: an official 1991 statistic recorded 669 Soviet soldiers killed and 51 missing.
The defeat was followed by a wave of reprisals. Former Prime Minister Imre Nagy, Defence Minister Pál Maléter and journalist Miklós Gimes were executed on 16 June 1958 after a show trial. Depending on the source, between 220 and 340 people were executed for their involvement in the revolution, while thousands more received prison sentences or were interned. Around 200,000 Hungarians fled the country.
Hungary remembers its fallen
The Hungarian government officially designated 4 November a National Day of Mourning. The national flag is lowered to half-mast, and ceremonies are held to honour those who died during the revolution and the subsequent reprisals.
On Wednesday morning, a military ceremony took place in Kossuth Square in front of Parliament, where the national flag was raised and then lowered to half-mast. A black mourning flag was also displayed on the Parliament building.
Government representatives laid wreaths at the 301 Plot in Budapest’s New Public Cemetery, where many victims of the communist reprisals are buried. Further commemorations are taking place at memorial sites in the capital and in cities across the country.
The anniversary also marks the publication of communist-era state security records, giving the public access to files that have been the subject of longstanding debate. The release is a separate, but significant, part of this year’s 70th-anniversary events.
