Tribute to the Hungarian revolution
ON THE anniversary of the Hungarian uprising, Signed: Hungary: Ivan Baba, Peter Bokros, Geza Buda,
October 23, the following statement was issued Sandor Csoori, Istan Csurka, Gabor Demsky, Olga Dioszegi, Istan Eorsi, Gyorgy Gado, Arpad Goncz, Csaba simultaneously in Berlin, Budapest, Prague and
Gonczol, Bela Gonda, Judit Gyenes, Aliz Halda, Miklos
Janos Kenedi, Zsolt Keszthelyi, Janos Kis,
Karoly Kiszely, Gyorgy Konrad, Ferenc Koszeg, Gyorgy
Thirty years ago, on October 23, 1956, workers, stu- Zsolt Krokovay, dents and soldiers stormed the radio station in Budapest Lezsak, Fruszina Magyar, because they had had enough of official lies and wanted Tamas Mikes, Tamas Molnar, Andras Nagy, Jano Nagy, to hear the truth and to voice their demands. They des-
Robert Faunkas, Gyuala Perlart, Gyorg)
troyed Stalin's statue and the credibility of a regime that Petri, Sandor Racz, Sandor Radnoti, Laszlo Rajh, Laszlo a dictatorship of the proletariat and a Rusai, Ottilia Solt, Miklos Sulyok, Jeno Szell, Sandor
Szilagyi, Pal-Szalai, Jozset Talata, Gaspar Mirlos Tamas, what the Hungarian people really wanted was indepen- Mihaly Vajda, Judit Vasarhelyi, Miklos Vasarhelyi dence, democracy and neutrality. They wanted to live in
International Viewpoint 10 November 1986 peace in a free and honest society.
Haraszti,
Krasso,
Tibor Pakh,
Czechoslovakia:
Gabriella Lengyel, Sandor
Imre Mecs, Miklos Meszoly,
Rudolf Battek, Vaclau Benda, Jan
Carnogursky, Jiri Dienstbier,
The Hungarian revolution, like the uprising in East torad, Jiri Hajek, Vaclav Havel, Ladislav Hejdanek, Eva
Berlin, the Prague Spring, and the social movement of
Kanturkova, Jan Kozlik, Miroslau Kusy, Ivan Lamper, the free union Solidarnosc in Poland, have been sup-
Ladislav Lis, Vaclav Maly, Anna Marvanova, Martin pressed, either by Soviet intervention or by the inter-
Rumi, Jaroslav Sabata, Anna Sabatova, vention of local armed forces. Over the last 30 years, life
Libuse Silhanova, Milan Simecka, Frantisek, Starek, Petr has become easier for many people. Some people can express themselves without being
Poland: Konrad Bielinski, Marian Brandys, Jacek
But the essential demands of the revolutionists have not
Czaputowicz, Marek Edelman, Jacek Fedorowicz, Jan
Andrzej Gorny, Janusz Grzelak, Zbigniew Janas,
On this anniversary, we appeal to all our friends
Kielanowski, Wiktor Kulerski, W. Kunicki-Goldfinger, throughout the world to join with us in commemorating
Zofia Kuratowska, Jacek Kuron, Jan Jozef Lipski, Jan the Hungarian revolution of 1956. We proclaim our
Litynski, Barbara Malak, Wojciech Maziarski, Adam common determination to fight for political democracy
Michnik, Leszek Moczulski, Piotr Niemczyk, in our countries, for their independence, for pluralism
Romaszewski, Zbigniew Romaszewski, Klemens Szanibased on the principles of self-management, awski, Jacek Szymanderski, Henryk Wujec.
peaceful reunification of a divided Europe and for the rights of all national minorities. We stress our reciprocal
Reiner Deitrich, Werner Fischer, Peter Grimm, Monika support for all efforts underway to achieve a better, free
Ralf Hirsch, Herbert Misslitz, Lutz Nagorski, and honest life in our countries and throughout the world. The tradition and experience of the Hungarian
Utrike Poppe,
Sinico Schonfeld, Templin, Wolfgang Templin, Mario revolution of 1956 remain our common heritage and our dividing line is clear. The people are on one side, the Stalinist section of the leadership of the regime on the other, basing itself on the forces of the political police.
"Among the insurgents are thou-
A part of the
Hungarian army is remaining neutral, but another part has joined the revpower in the factories.
and worker youth is on the barricades.
It is fighting against the Soviet troops called in by Gero." (2)
In the fall of 1956, Hungary gave the signal for a new Springtime of the Peoples, this time aimed against the bureaucracy. Bill Lomax, a British
Marxist historian of this revolution,
"The Hungarian workers, in establishing direct control over their factories through the workers' councils, had thus in one blow both smashed the former state power ruled over by the Communist Party, and reopened the road to that society which had thrown into prison.
East Germany: Haeger, Gerd Poppe, Wetzky. been the original aim of Marxism and
- in which hierarchy would give way to equality, in which political institutions would be replaced by popular organs, in which political rule would be replaced by social power, and where 'the government of persons is replaced by the administration things'." (3)
The night of November 3 and 4, the Kremlin began their final mili-
On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the beginning of the bureaucratic oppositions countries — Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia and East Germany - published a joint statement paying homage to the heroic Hungarian fighters and declaring their adherence to values in defence of which they rose up. This is the first time that dissidents and oppositions in four East European countries have made a common statement on a question that goes beyond national frontiers. This is a sign of
Miklos Duray, Jiri GrunJan Zofia
Martin Bottger, Barbel Bohley,
Wolfgang Ruddenklau, their growing ties and an act of defiance to the bureaucratic regimes.
The most numerous signatories to this statement were Hungarian dissidissident movement in Czechoslovakia also made a major the limitations of its modest forces. In East Germany, it seems that the statement was not so widely circulated, but the opposition in that country is the least structured in East Europe today. The Polish signatories reflect only breadth and diversity of the social movement as it appears today.
The first to react were the Polish political police. called in some of the signatories to inform them that once again they had committed a new act "contrary to the national understanding and to the interests of People's Poland."
Lopienska, E. Szymanska, tare numery, Aneks, London, 1986, p.8
1956, Allison & Busby, London, 1976, p.203