Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

I'll be guiding you through all of our resources today, and my top priority is to make sure that by the end of our lesson, you are able to successfully meet our learning objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the development of the Cold War, where we've been asking ourselves, how peaceful was peaceful coexistence? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain the causes, events, and consequences of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.

There are four keywords which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are: satellite state, uprising, oppression, and containment.

A satellite state is a country controlled by or depending on a more powerful country.

An uprising is an act of resistance or rebellion.

Oppression refers to unfair treatment that limits people's freedom.

And containment was an American policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism into non-communist countries.

Today's lesson will be split into three parts, and we will begin by focusing on the problems in Hungary.

Hungary is located in Eastern Europe.

In the mid 1950s, Hungary was a communist state and a member of the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance of communist states in Eastern Europe.

Like other Warsaw Pact members, Hungary was a satellite state of the Soviet Union.

So thinking about what we've heard so far, which statement about Hungary is not correct? That it was allied to the USA, that it was a communist state, that it was a Warsaw Pact member, or that it was located in Eastern Europe.

Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was A, Hungary was not an ally of the USA, but it was a communist state located in Eastern Europe and was a Warsaw Pact member.

In 1956, major protests began in Hungary.

This represented the beginning of the Hungarian Uprising.

These protests were encouraged by a range of problems in Hungary, including political oppression, poor living standards, and foreign influence.

Hungary had been governed by the Communist Party since 1949.

Matyas Rakosi, a strong supporter of Stalin, had emerged as leader of Hungary and ruled through terror.

The Hungarian secret police, under Rakosi's orders, were responsible for the killing of over 2000 people and the imprisonment of 200,000 political opponents.

Hungarians were denied rights such as freedom of speech, and Rakosi's brutality made him extremely unpopular.

The government's unpopularity increased further in the 1950s due to a steep decline in living standards caused by Rakosi's economic policies.

Rakosi prioritised heavy industry at the expense of producing consumer goods, leading to widespread shortages of basic items. Workers also faced poor working conditions and low wages.

Hungarians also felt that their problems had been made worse by the power of the USSR, as Hungary had been a Soviet satellite state since 1949.

For instance, through Comecon, the USSR blocked Hungary from trading with Western nations.

At the same time, Hungary was forced to trade with the Soviet Union on unequal terms. This meant that Hungarians selling to the USSR did not always receive a fair price for their goods, making the country's economic problems even worse.

Meanwhile, thousands of Soviet troops and officials were stationed across Hungary, contributing to the oppression of ordinary Hungarians and creating yet another impoverishing drain on the country's resources.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

How many political opponents in Hungary were imprisoned on Rakosi's orders? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the answer was 200,000.

200,000 political opponents in Hungary were imprisoned on Rakosi's orders as Rakosi used terror to help him maintain control of power.

Let's try another question.

This time we have a statement which reads: Soviet influence was blamed for making Hungarians' lives harder.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that as a member of the Warsaw Pact, Hungary was in an alliance with the Soviet Union, and the second says that as a member of Comecon, Hungary was not allowed to trade with Western countries.

So which one of those two justifications proves that our initial statement was true? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B.

As a member of Comecon, Hungary was not allowed to trade with Western countries, and because of this, the Soviet Union was blamed for making Hungarians poorer.

In July 1956, Rakosi was forced from power on the orders of the Soviet Union.

However, widespread anger remained in Hungary.

As a result, the Hungarian Uprising began on the 23rd of October, 1956.

Hungarians in the capital, Budapest, took to the streets to protest against their lack of freedom and problems caused by fuel shortages and poor harvest.

Protestors clashed with police, and Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the USSR, responded by sending Soviet troops into the city to restore peace.

On the 25th of October, 12 protestors were killed and hundreds more were injured when Soviet tanks fired on a demonstration.

So let's check our understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to change one word to correct the following statement, which reads: widespread anger amongst Hungarians disappeared after Rakosi was removed from power.

So consider which word appears to be incorrect and what should it be changed to? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the word disappeared should have been changed to remained.

Widespread anger amongst Hungarians remained after Rakosi was removed from power.

Let's try another question.

How did the USSR initially respond to the protests in Hungary? Was it that it left the protests for the Hungarian government to resolve, that it removed Soviet troops and improved Hungary's trading rights, or did it send Soviet troops to put a forceful end to the protest? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C, Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, sent Soviet troops to put a forceful end to the protests in Hungary.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about some of the problems in Hungary into practise.

I want you to explain two reasons why the Hungarian Uprising began on the 23rd of October, 1956.

You should write one paragraph and aim to use the following words in your answer: oppression, living standards, Rakosi, and communist.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked you to explain two reasons why the Hungarian Uprising began on the 23rd of October, 1956, and your answer may have included: one reason that the Hungarian Uprising began on the 23rd of October, 1956, is because people in Hungary were angry about the political oppression they experienced under communist rule.

Rakosi had ruled by terror for several years, killing and imprisoning many of his opponents.

Another reason for the Hungarian Uprising was anger at falling living standards.

This was due to the economic policies of Rakosi, which had led to a shortage of consumer goods, poor working conditions and low wages, and Soviet influence, as, as a member of Comecon, Hungary was not allowed to trade with Western countries.

So really well done if your own response looked something like that model which we've just seen.

And now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson for today, where we are going to think about Nagy's reforms. In October 1956, a new leader, Imre Nagy, came to power in Hungary.

Nagy gained power with the support of the Soviet Union.

However, he soon found himself and his country facing a military invasion launched by the USSR.

On the 26th of October, in an attempt to end the protest in Hungary, Khrushchev installed Imre Nagy as the new leader of Hungary.

Although Nagy was a communist, he was supportive of greater personal freedoms. Khrushchev hoped that Nagy's appointment would end the uprising as he would introduce reforms, which could please the Hungarian people.

Within days of becoming leader, Nagy invited non-communists to join the government, which ended one-party rule, and he also ordered the release of thousands of political prisoners.

Khrushchev's priority was to end the uprising, and so he agreed to support the reforms and withdrew Soviet troops from Hungary.

So let's reflect on what we've just heard.

We have a statement on the screen that reads: Khrushchev installed Nagy as leader of Hungary because he believed it would help to end the Hungarian Uprising.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that Khrushchev hoped Nagy would work with the USSR to crush the Hungarian Uprising using force.

And the second says that Khrushchev hoped Nagy would stop the Hungarian Uprising by introducing reforms that would reduce anger.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B, Khrushchev hoped that Nagy would stop the Hungarian Uprising by introducing reforms, which could calm the anger of protestors in places like Budapest.

On the 1st of November, 1956, Nagy announced that his reforms would go further.

Hungary was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact.

Because Khrushchev had criticised the policies of Stalin, supported the October reforms in Hungary, and had spoken of different paths to socialism, Nagy believed that the USSR might accept this new decision.

However, Khrushchev considered the prospect of Hungary leaving the Warsaw Pact a step too far.

For one, a Hungarian exit risked making the USSR appear weak and could encourage other satellite states to leave too.

Like Stalin, Khrushchev believed that Soviet control of Eastern Europe was essential to protect the USSR against invasion, and any weakening of the Warsaw Pact would make the Soviet Union more vulnerable.

Subsequently, on the 4th of November, Khrushchev ordered the invasion of Hungary by 200,000 Soviet troops and 6,000 tanks.

Supporters of Nagy fought back, but they were no match for the Soviet army, who quickly took control of the country, capturing key cities and infrastructure.

In the next few days, the Soviet army brutally crushed Hungarian resistance and it is estimated that 20,000 Hungarians were killed, although street fighting also led to the deaths of 7,000 Soviet troops.

With no hope of victory, the Hungarians agreed a ceasefire on the 10th of November.

Nagy was replaced as leader by Janos Kadar, who quickly established a new pro-Soviet communist government.

After the Soviet invasion of Hungary, Kadar promised Nagy that he and some of his close supporters could leave the country safely.

However, when Nagy attempted to do so, he was kidnapped by Soviet agents.

In July 1958, the Hungarian government announced that Nagy had been executed.

Many other Hungarians suffered from the failure of the Hungarian Uprising.

As well as those killed by the Soviets and the Kadar government, 200,000 Hungarians fled the country, becoming political refugees.

So I wanna make sure that we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

So discuss the following with a partner.

Why was Khrushchev determined to prevent Hungary from leaving the Warsaw Pact? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your discussion.

Okay, well done to everybody who discussed some of the following points.

Khrushchev believed that allowing Hungary to leave the Warsaw Pact would encourage other satellite states to leave the military alliance.

He believed that Hungary's attempt to leave the Warsaw Pact was a threat to the alliance and therefore a threat to the security of the USSR itself.

And let's try another question.

How many Hungarians were killed during the Soviet invasion and how many were forced to flee the country? Was it 10,000 killed and 100,000 forced to flee, 15,000 killed and 150,000 forced to flee, 20,000 killed and 200,000 forced to flee, or 30,000 killed and 300,000 forced to flee? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C, 20,000 Hungarians were killed during the Soviet invasion, and a further 200,000 were forced to flee the country.

So we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about Nagy's reforms into practise.

I want you to write an account that analyses the key events of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.

You should ensure that your account follows the correct chronology of the crisis, makes it clear how events in the crisis linked together, and includes specific details.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked you to write an account that analyses the key events of the Hungarian Uprising, and your answer may have included: on the 23rd of October, 1956, the Hungarian Uprising began when people in Budapest started a protest against falling living standards and a lack of freedom under communist rule.

Khrushchev sent Soviet troops to restore order and to stop the protests, but this led to violent clashes.

Subsequently, Khrushchev installed Imre Nagy as the new leader of Hungary, trusting in him to make reforms which could bring about a peaceful end to the protests.

Nagy's reforms were successful in achieving this aim as he introduced measures, including the end to one-party rule and a release of thousands of political prisoners.

However, on the 1st of November, Nagy went too far for Khrushchev's liking when he announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact.

Subsequently, Khrushchev ordered the Soviet invasion of Hungary as he believed that if he allowed Hungary to leave the military alliance, then the USSR would appear weak and it could encourage other satellite states to leave too.

The Soviet invasion forcefully ended the Hungarian Uprising.

In the process, 20,000 Hungarians were killed, including Nagy himself, who after being replaced as leader by Janos Kadar, was arrested by Soviet agents and executed.

So really well done if your own response looks something like that model which we've just seen.

And now we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today, where we are going to think about the international reaction and consequences of the Hungarian Uprising.

Khrushchev's decision to crush the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 had a major impact on the Cold War.

Beyond Hungary, the Soviet action affected the USSR's relationship with its satellite states, East-West relations, and demonstrated the limits of the USA's policy of containment.

The defeat of the Hungarian Uprising strengthened the USSR's position within the Warsaw Pact and sent a signal that the USSR was not prepared to tolerate any attempt by its satellite states to break away from Soviet influence.

By taking decisive action to crush the uprising, Khrushchev also strengthened his own position within the Communist Party and demonstrated that he could be as ruthless as Stalin when it came to protecting the Soviet Union's interests.

However, the violence of the USSR's response damaged Khrushchev's reputation in the West.

The US and its allies concluded that Khrushchev's previous talk of peaceful coexistence was just a sham and condemned Soviet aggression at the United Nations.

Thus, the divide between the superpowers deepened.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of everything we've just heard.

We have three statements on the screen that read: the Hungarian Uprising strengthened the USSR's position within NATO, the Hungarian Uprising weakened Khrushchev's position within the Communist Party, and the Hungarian Uprising led to an improvement in the relationship between the USA and the USSR.

Each of those statements contains a mistake.

So I want you to identify and correct the mistakes in each statement.

Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done to everybody who made the following corrections.

The Hungarian Uprising strengthened the USSR's position within the Warsaw Pact.

The Hungarian Uprising strengthened Khrushchev's position within the Communist Party.

And the Hungarian Uprising led to a decline in the relationship between the USA and the USSR.

When he announced that Hungary was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact, it's likely that Nagy believed the country would have the support of the USA and NATO.

The USA had been committed to a policy of containment since 1947 and had subsequently spent billions of dollars to stop the spread of communism.

Furthermore, when Nagy became leader of Hungary, he had been told by John Foster Dulles, president Eisenhower's Secretary of State, "You can count on us." In other words, you can count on America.

However, when Soviet tanks rolled into Hungary, the USA was not prepared to back up its words of criticism with military action.

Eisenhower was sympathetic to the Hungarians, but did not want to risk a war with the USSR to support the Hungarian Uprising, particularly since there was a danger that it could escalate into a nuclear conflict.

Eisenhower was also not willing to involve the USA in a conflict between the USSR and an existing communist country.

Thus, it became clear that the West would not attempt to roll back communism within the Soviet sphere of influence.

So based on what you've just heard, I want you to discuss with a partner, why did many people in Hungary believe that the USA would support their uprising against the Soviet Union? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your discussion.

Okay, well done to anyone whose discussion involved the following points: that the USA had been committed to a policy of containment since 1947.

The USA had also told Nagy that "you can count on us." Consequently, many Hungarians thought that the USA would be willing to send them military support whilst they resisted the USSR's invasion.

And let's try another question.

Which of following statements helps to explain why Eisenhower did not send US military support to aid the Hungarian Uprising? Was it because he was not sympathetic towards the Hungarians, because he did not want to risk war with the USSR, because Hungary was already a communist country, or because he was concerned about a possible nuclear conflict? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answers were B, C, and D.

Eisenhower was sympathetic towards the Hungarians, but he didn't want to risk war with the USSR and he saw this as particularly likely if he supported a country that was already communist against the USSR.

In particular, Eisenhower was concerned that the USSR would take any intervention in Hungary so seriously that escalation to nuclear conflict might be possible.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the international reaction to the Hungarian Uprising and its consequences into practise.

I want you to explain two consequences of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising.

You should identify two clear and distinct consequences and write one paragraph per consequence to explain how each one resulted from the events of the uprising.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked you to explain two consequences of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, and your answer may have included: one consequence of the Hungarian Uprising was that it increased Soviet control over their satellite states in the Warsaw Pact.

The USSR had invaded Hungary on the 4th of November, 1956, after Nagy had announced that Hungary was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact on the 1st of November.

By brutally crushing the Hungarian Uprising, the USSR demonstrated that they would not tolerate attempts by their satellite states to break away from their influence.

After seeing what had happened in Hungary, the other members of the Warsaw Pact were less likely to challenge Soviet control.

So really well done if part of your answer looked like that model there.

Your answer may also have included: another consequence of the Hungarian Uprising was that it led to increased tension between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Although the USA refused to provide military support for the Hungarians, it was outraged at the Soviet invasion.

As a result, US trust in Khrushchev's promises of peaceful coexistence was undermined.

Furthermore, the US and its allies publicly condemned the Soviet Union's aggression against Hungary.

This public criticism was resented by Khrushchev, thereby increasing Cold War tensions and deepening the divide between the USA and the USSR.

So again, if your own response looks something like that model, really well done.

And that means we've now reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about Hungary and Soviet power in Eastern Europe.

We've seen that political oppression, poor living standards, and Soviet control in Hungary helped trigger protests in October 1956.

In an attempt to stop the protests, Khrushchev installed Imre Nagy as leader of Hungary and supported his reforms. When Nagy announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact, Khrushchev ordered Soviet troops to invade Hungary.

The invasion increased tensions between the superpowers, but the USA refused to provide military support to the Hungarians.

And the USSR's invasion strengthened its control over its satellite states and helped secure Khrushchev's leadership in the Soviet Union.

So really well done for all of your hard work during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources, and I look forward to seeing you again in future as we think further about the development of the Cold War and continue to ask ourselves, how peaceful was peaceful coexistence?.