Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

Victor Sebestyen, a journalist whose own family fled Hungary, gives us a totally fresh account, incorporating newly released official documents, his family's diaries, and eyewitness testimony. We witness the thrilling first days when—armed only with a few rifles, petrol bombs, and desperate courage—the people of Budapest rose up against their Soviet masters and nearly succeeded. As the world watched in amazement, it looked as though the Hungarians might humble the Soviet empire. But the Soviets were willing to resort to brutal lengths—and, sadly, the West was prepared to let them. Dramatic, vivid, and authoritative, Twelve Days adds immeasurably to our understanding of this historic event and reminds us of the unquenchable human desire for freedom. The Defining Moment Of The Cold War: 'the Beginning Of The End Of The Soviet Empire.' (richard Nixon) The Hungarian Revolution In 1956 Is A Story Of Extraordinary Bravery In A Fight For Freedom, And Of Ruthless Cruelty In Suppressing A Popular Dream. A Small Nation, Its People Armed With A Few Rifles And Petrol Bombs, Had The Will And Courage To Rise Up Against One Of The World's Superpowers. The Determination Of The Hungarians To Resist The Russians Astonished The West. People Of All Kinds, Throughout The Free World, Became Involved In The Cause. For 12 Days It Looked, Miraculously, As Though The Soviets Might Be Humbled. Then Reality Hit Back. The Hungarians Were Brutally Crushed. Their Capital Was Devastated, Thousands Of People Were Killed And Their Country Was Occupied For A Further Three Decades. The Uprising Was The Defining Moment Of The Cold War: The Ussr Showed That It Was Determined To Hold On To Its European Empire, But It Would Never Do So Without Resistance. From The Prague Spring To Lech Walesa's Solidarity And The Fall Of The Berlin Wall, The Tighter The Grip Of The Communist Bloc, The More Irresistible The Popular Demand For Freedom. Sebestyen, a journalist whose own family fled from Hungary, gives us a fresh account of this defining moment in the Cold War, incorporating newly released official Hungarian and Soviet documents, his family's diaries, and eyewitness testimony. Tracing the events that led to the rebellion, Sebestyen's narrative moves from the tumultuous streets of Budapest to the Kremlin and the White House, where we hear conversations of those who planned and took part in the uprising and of those who helped crush it--some actively, others through craven inaction. Sebestyen shows how Western rhetoric encouraged the rebels and convinced them they would receive help. For a few thrilling days, as the world watched in amazement, it looked as though the Hungarians would humble the Soviet Union. Then the Soviets showed they would resort to brutal lengths to cling to their Communist empire--and the West let them.--From publisher description. The Hungarian Revolution Title Page Contents Epigraph Photos Acknowledgments Maps Characters Introduction Prologue Part I: Prelude ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN Part II: Revolution NINETEEN TWENTY TWENTY-ONE TWENTY-TWO TWENTY-THREE TWENTY-FOUR TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-SIX TWENTY-SEVEN TWENTY-EIGHT TWENTY-NINE THIRTY THIRTY-ONE Part III: Aftermath THIRTY-TWO THIRTY-THREE THIRTY-FOUR Postscript Appendix Sources Bibliography Index