Rebellion in Eastern Europe: Hungary and Czechoslovakia
Hungary:
By 1947, Communist governments had taken over East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and Hungary. Until 1956, Hungary had been under the brutal rule of Communist leader Mátyás Rákosi. In October 1956, riots broke out in Budapest and quickly spread across the country. After the resignation of Rákosi, the "National Communist" Imre Nagy was placed into power by the Central Committee of Hungarian Working People's Party. On November 1, Nagy declared that Hungary was going to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and become neutral. This declaration angered the Soviets, prompting them to send troops into Budapest and install a new government led by János Kádár. Thousands of Hungarians were arrested, imprisoned, and even killed. The facts of the invasion of Budapest were then hidden from the citizens of Hungary until 1989. Nagy then fled to the Yugoslav embassy, but was later arrested and executed by the Soviets. The Soviet invasion of Budapest was significant in that it went against Nikita Khrushchev's promise to deter from Stalinist policies.
Czechoslovakia:
Czechoslovakia managed to hold off a Communist government until 1948, when leader Klement Gottwald took over as president. Under Communist rule, Czechoslovakia developed the ideas of Marx and Lenin, and later became a founding country of the Warsaw Pact. In 1968, Antonín Novotný's rule came to an end as Alexander Dubček was elected as the 1st secretary of the Communist party. Dubček attempted to reform Czechoslovakia by creating "socialism with a human face." This idea included freedom of speech and the press and the right to travel abroad. His period of reform was dubbed "Prague Spring." While Dubček's popularity grew within Czechoslovakia, the other communist nations did not share their enthusiasm. On August 20, 1968, troops from various Soviet nations came and invaded, crushing the reform movement. In April of the following year, Dubček was replaced by Gustav Husak, and the "Prague Spring' was over. Following the Soviet invasion, Czechoslovakia's economy didn't see growth until 1983. While the Brezhnev Doctrine justified the Soviet intervention of any country in which communism was in jeopardy, the invasion temporarily froze movement towards détente between The United States and The Soviet Union.
By 1947, Communist governments had taken over East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and Hungary. Until 1956, Hungary had been under the brutal rule of Communist leader Mátyás Rákosi. In October 1956, riots broke out in Budapest and quickly spread across the country. After the resignation of Rákosi, the "National Communist" Imre Nagy was placed into power by the Central Committee of Hungarian Working People's Party. On November 1, Nagy declared that Hungary was going to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and become neutral. This declaration angered the Soviets, prompting them to send troops into Budapest and install a new government led by János Kádár. Thousands of Hungarians were arrested, imprisoned, and even killed. The facts of the invasion of Budapest were then hidden from the citizens of Hungary until 1989. Nagy then fled to the Yugoslav embassy, but was later arrested and executed by the Soviets. The Soviet invasion of Budapest was significant in that it went against Nikita Khrushchev's promise to deter from Stalinist policies.
Czechoslovakia:
Czechoslovakia managed to hold off a Communist government until 1948, when leader Klement Gottwald took over as president. Under Communist rule, Czechoslovakia developed the ideas of Marx and Lenin, and later became a founding country of the Warsaw Pact. In 1968, Antonín Novotný's rule came to an end as Alexander Dubček was elected as the 1st secretary of the Communist party. Dubček attempted to reform Czechoslovakia by creating "socialism with a human face." This idea included freedom of speech and the press and the right to travel abroad. His period of reform was dubbed "Prague Spring." While Dubček's popularity grew within Czechoslovakia, the other communist nations did not share their enthusiasm. On August 20, 1968, troops from various Soviet nations came and invaded, crushing the reform movement. In April of the following year, Dubček was replaced by Gustav Husak, and the "Prague Spring' was over. Following the Soviet invasion, Czechoslovakia's economy didn't see growth until 1983. While the Brezhnev Doctrine justified the Soviet intervention of any country in which communism was in jeopardy, the invasion temporarily froze movement towards détente between The United States and The Soviet Union.