Stay ConnectedWDF examines how wars broke out, how they were concluded, and their consequences. Expect juicy diplomacy, sneaky intrigue, fascinating characters, and incredible drama. By Dr Zack Twamley, qualified history nerd.
Current Series: The July Crisis
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A French investment opportunity, an ancient idea, and a British masterstroke - discover in this episode how the Suez Canal became so monumentally important for British imperial interests in the latter 19th century, and how this interest was then carried over into the 20th century. After years of defending and expanding their stock in Suez, it was highly unlikely that Britain was going to give up its position there without a fight. Yet, at the same time, decolonisation trends across the world were in full swing, and it was far from certain that Egypt could be held while certain movements were underway.
The most important of all these movements in decolonisation era Africa was found on 23rd July 1952, when a coup against King Farouk of Egypt, that docile and loyal British puppet, succeeded. A cadre of Egyptian military men now held control over the country, and they were determined to be anything but puppets to the British interest. One figure surged forward above all. His name was Gamal Abdel Nasser, and in this episode, we will be introduced to him, as we see what the British establishment was up against. Mindful of Britain’s interests in his country, and its unsavoury record there, Nasser was not about to give ground for nothing. Thousands of miles away, a government change waved goodbye to Winston Churchill, and ushered in his subordinate Anthony Eden. The stage was set for a conflict which was unlike any other yet seen in the British experience.
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In this episode, we will examine the painful post-war experience of France, why it was so reluctant to let go of its colonies and how this caused it more damage in the long run. As an integral, but largely forgotten player in the Crisis, understanding the French angle is essential for us. On many occasions, the fractured French government would be the only thing holding the also fractured plans for Suez together. Here, we discover what was moving the French in North Africa, and how its bitter Algerian pill, which it would put off swallowing for some time, so influenced its government’s decision to weigh in against Egypt.
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1956 now enters its second season, and we are confronted with several pressing questions. How did the British, French, Israelis and Americans become involved in Egypt, and how did these events affect what was ongoing in Hungary? The incredible spectacle of these two simultaneous crises, both caused by very different forces, and hosting very different characters, is what we have to examine next, so I hope you'll join me as we introduce the Suez Crisis - perhaps the greatest error of modern Britain until the decision to Brexit!
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1956 Episode 1.15 examines the final moments of Imre Nagy, as the Soviet noose tightened around him.
But the Kremlin was not safe yet. Of particular concern to Moscow and to the Hungarians was the stance of Yugoslavia, as its embassy in Budapest provided asylum to Imre Nagy and 40 other individuals responsible for guiding and leading the momentarily independent Hungarian state. The revolution may have been crushed within a few days, but it was evidently not going to be so simple to remove the memory of Nagy. Although normal Hungarian citizens couldn’t know of his fate, even when he was tricked into leaving this safe haven in late November, behind the scenes the Soviet-Yugoslav diplomacy was only serving to heighten tensions in the communist world.
In addition, the Chinese, soon to visit the Eastern satellites in January 1957, had their own comments to make on the events in Hungary. The Chinese conclusion, and the conclusion which has largely survived as canon to this day, was that Vladislav Gomulka had only gone so far, whereas Imre Nagy had gone far too far in bringing reform to his country. It was not acceptable, in the Chinese mind, that reform came at the expense of Soviet power and stability – a national road to socialism was to be admired, but this road could be bumpy, and on occasion, fraught with danger.
Also worth considering was the American perspective – Eisenhower’s administration was thoroughly distracted by events in Egypt, and while he and his Secretary of State John Foster Dulles never really intended to intervene with force in Hungary, the unofficial state organs like Radio Free Europe ensured that the American or at least the Western approach and intentions remained unclear to Hungarians, who felt encouraged to challenge the Soviet domination, and were then bitterly disappointed when no Western aid materialised. Suez was of course a convenient excuse for American non-intervention, yet for Eisenhower’s new ‘rollback’ policy towards the Soviet Union, it was important to blame the Anglo-French-Israeli attack upon Egypt to the end...
At the pinnacle of our narrative was the fate of Nagy and his circle. Two years after the revolution had been put down, Nagy was executed. Even in his final moments he refused to admit error and to denounce what had been done. He went to the gallows courageously, confident that no matter what occurred after his death, one day, he would be reburied, and Hungary would be free. His legacy was to inspire Hungarian politicians and a tacit policy of non-violent resistance to Soviet rule throughout the next few decades. His words would prove correct – Imre Nagy’s reburial in June 1989 signalled the end of Soviet domination, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War all at once. Nagy’s death and rehabilitation put to bed the fallout of Khrushchev’s secret speech, and it also concludes our first part of 1956. Next time, we’ll begin our examination of that other significant narrative which 1956 provided, as we count down to the Suez Crisis.
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1956 Episode 1.14 analyses the Soviet response in the first week of November 1956, as the rug was finally pulled on Hungarian independence.
Having already removed his country from the Warsaw Pact and requested Western assistance, Nagy was persona non grata in Soviet minds, yet this Hungarian communist was not finished yet. If there was any chance at all that this Hungarian state could be preserved, he was willing to engage in whatever to took to protect his people from the Soviet axe. Yet, unfortunately for Nagy and for Hungary generally, there was no chance.
Khrushchev had no intentions of letting Budapest think for itself, and the crushing of the Hungarian revolution and the entry of Janus Kadar into Hungary represented the end note of the Hungarian effort. Kadar, it would transpire, was not the supplicant figure he seemed, but he was ambitious, utterly ruthless and not all constrained by any concept of loyalty to Imre Nagy, a man whom he had known and befriended after several years of close cooperation. This episode contains several primary source extracts which detail the real experiences of Hungarian politicians and citizens as they fled the country, encouraged it, or sold it out to Moscow. It provides us with a great and invaluable window into the Soviet mindset at the time, so I hope you enjoy it, and join us for the concluding episode on this Soviet chapter next time.
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1956 Episode 1.13 examines the unlikely triumph of the Hungarians in Budapest, even as the Soviets schemed for revenge.
After somehow wresting a ceasefire agreement from the Soviet Union, the Hungarian revolution appeared – against all odds – to be secured by 28th October. Yet, this was merely a pause for Moscow, it was not the end. As Hungarians began to dream of life outside the Soviet sphere, Soviet tanks were preparing to move, and figures within Imre Nagy’s tightening circle were preparing to stab him in the back.
What followed would be bitter, bloody and terribly depressing for those that dreamed big in Hungary, yet for us, it serves to underline the chaotic Soviet experience of the eventful, revolutionary year of 1956. Without giving too much away, this longest episode of 1956 yet brings many issues to their logical conclusion, but we’re far from finished with the story of Budapest, of Hungary or of Imre Nagy just yet, so make sure you stick with us to the somewhat sticky end! Show Less
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1956 Episode 1.12 examines a key moment when a Hungarian student protest exploded into something far more encouraging, and for the Soviets, far more dangerous.
The demands of the protesters – joined by workers, peasants, Hungarian communists, soldiers and many more figures besides – were as disconcerting as the threat the protest posed to Soviet control. Still more incredible than the growth of the protest was the transformation of this protest into a riot, and the further transformation of this riot into a revolution.
From these process a rallying cry of hope seemed to spring, as independence and some freedom of action could at last be imagined. Hungarians who had never before dreamed of such things now engaged with all their enthusiasm this most dangerous task – that of standing up to the superpower of the era and their superior in almost every respect. Time would tell if this act would be tragic, or met with miraculous fortune. With far too many individual details to explain here, WDF is so excited to bring its patrons the latest piece of this fascinating story, so make sure you check it out and let me know what you all thought, perhaps by leaving a review in the section of the iTunes store where this series is hosted!
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1956 Episode 1.11 looks at what happened when Moscow decided it’d be a good idea to force Rakosi, the avowed Stalinist, to share power with Imre Nagy, his opposite in almost every respect.
Rakosi wished to maintain the status quo even as his favourite weapons like the secret police were taken away, yet Nagy recognised and appreciated from an early stage that much would have to change. Hungary couldn’t continue on in the manner of a repressed, unhappy vassal, especially if Moscow wished to guarantee the support of all Hungarian people. Nagy proposed limited reforms, but after 1953 it began to become apparent that with Stalin gone and Pandora’s Box opened, it was immensely difficult to keep that box closed.
Every concession granted to the Hungarians provoked calls for greater concessions – every bit of freedom given permitted Hungarians to become braver and more willing to question the apparatus which held them low. Every time Nagy said yes, the Hungarian people seemed to say more, and Rakosi tattled on him to the Soviet leadership. Since this Soviet leadership was undergoing great changes of its own at this stage – as Khrushchev attempted to manoeuvre his way past his rivals – the signals from Moscow were not always clear. Yet after a year it became largely certain that Nagy was on borrowed time.
As we’ll discover in this episode though, while Nagy hadn't done enough to ensure he remained in power, he had done enough to ensure that the Hungarian people did not forget him once he was removed. In a sea of sycophants, the courageous but otherwise bland Nagy stood out, and soon it was his name and his principles, regardless of his political persuasions, that positioned Nagy atop another pole – that of the public affections. As we’ll come to appreciate, this position was to be both a blessing and a fatal curse for Imre Nagy...
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1956 Episode 1.10 continues where we left off last time, and looks a bit more at the person of Matyas Rakosi.
Rakosi was the Stalinist dictator of Hungary from the late 1940s, and he set about establishing a Hungarian Stalinist regime, complete with all the trappings Stalin enjoyed. For every purge, every policy and ever character assassination that the man of steel engaged in, Rakosi felt compelled to demonstrate his loyalty by going still further. He would terrorise the people of Hungary into a burning, resentful, petrified silence, but his hold on power was only as strong as the secret police.
Imre Nagy, a passionate communist and eager reformer of all things Stalinism, was guaranteed to butt heads with a man like Rakosi, and in this episode we examine why this was the case. What were Nagy’s guiding principles, why was he such a committed communist, and what did he bring to the table that a man like Rakosi did not? Nagy was as complex as Rakosi was cruel, but this doesn’t mean we can’t give our best shot at analysing this fascinating individual who became, almost in spite of himself, a hero and then a martyr of the Hungarian people.
This episode is a pivotal instalment as we examine the background to what was to come in Hungary, and how a quiescent vassal became the centre of anti-Soviet sentiment within only a few stormy months. All of this began, of course, in the eventful year of 1956.
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1956 Episode 1.9 takes a somewhat depressing journey into post-war Hungary, to present a story and a people which suffered much over the course of the Soviet occupation – also known as the Soviet ‘liberation’.
Liberation from what, one may ask? Well how about liberation from national pride, freedom of conscience and that all too valuable commodity in history – freedom from fear. Fear was the key ingredient in the Soviet-Hungarian relationship between 1945-56, and in this episode we detail its key characteristics. Why were some Hungarians so eager to serve the Soviets, who were the most loyal Hungarian servants above all, and what were the consequences of this partnership by the time Khrushchev’s secret speech shattered all notions of Stalin-worship?
These are questions we get into in great detail here, so I hope you’ll join us. The story of Hungary is as fascinating and inspiring as it is depressing and tragic, but either way, it is a story worth committing to audio podcast format, because it tells us so much about what life was really like under the Soviet writ, and how the end of the Second World War did not mean the end of foreign rule. The Hungarians had merely swapped one regime, one centre of power, for another, and this one was more determined than ever to hold sway over every aspect of their lives. The Hungarians were desperate for sure, but as 1956 would demonstrate, their spirits and dreams were far, very far, from crushed.
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