In the autumn of 1956, Hungarian people made world history when they rose up against tyranny. They took up the fight against the foreign occupiers for a free and independent Hungary. By then, life had become unbearable in this part of Europe. The communist utopia had promised a terrestrial paradise — a society without exploitation, built on equality — but what it created was nothing more than a brutal tyranny. Soviet rule, enforced by its local henchmen, operated as a totalitarian dictatorship, and the entire country rose up against it. Oppression had become intolerable, terror unbearable, and the lack of freedom suffocating. All this inflamed the Hungarians’ anti-Soviet sentiments and their longing for independence. Hopelessness and disappointment had become palpable.
On 23 October, after more than a decade of oppression, hope returned to Hungarian hearts. The lads and girls of Budapest risked their lives fighting for Hungary’s freedom. In 1956 it became clear once again that national unity, patriotism, and the desire for liberty form a bond in Hungarian life strong enough to overcome every division. From this the heroes of ’56 drew strength when they confronted the world’s most powerful land army.
On the 70th anniversary of the Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1956, the House of Terror Museum presents a selection of original photographs from its collection. These images show the finest and most courageous chapter of twentieth century Hungarian history, when Hungarian freedom fighters won the admiration of the world as they stood against oppression. In 1956, we taught the world to hope. In 1956, we made history.
Curators:
Mária Schmidt
Gábor Balogh
