Hungary 1956: reading guide
Libcom.org's reading guide to the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the Communist dictatorship which saw a general strike declared and workers' councils spring up across the country.
Key texts
- 1956: the Hungarian revolution - A short and clearly written history of the Hungarian workers' revolution against the state capitalist dictatorship.
- Hungary '56 - Andy Anderson - Excellent pamphlet, published by Solidarity. An invaluable guide to the events of the Hungarian uprising of 1956.
- Hungary '56: "the proletariat storming heaven" - Mouvement Communiste - Analysis of the Hungarian workers’ uprising, stressing the importance of the collective action taken by workers and critically examining the demands and programmes they put forward.
- Hungarian Tragedy - Peter Fryer An account of events in Hungary 1956 by Peter Fryer, then a columnist for the Daily Worker, the official paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain.
Other recommended reading
- The Hungarian revolution: 1956 - Anonymous account of the events of the near revolution of 1956, containing interesting information from interviews with participants.
- United Nations report on the Hungarian uprising 1956 - UN special committee report on the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Examines the revolutionary workers councils established by Hungarian workers, and analyses the dangers they posed to both the Soviet bureaucracy and capitalism.
- Hungary '56 - Nick Heath - History of the Hungarian uprising of 1956, published as a special supplement of Anarchist Worker on the 20th anniversary in 1976.
- The Hungarian workers' revolution - Syndicalist Workers' Federation - Revised second edition of a pamphlet written by British syndicalists in 1957.
- Facing Reality - CLR James and Grace Lee Boggs's wide-ranging work written in the immediate aftermath of Hungary 1956.
Other media
- Hungary 56 photo gallery - Photo gallery of the events in Hungary 1956.