ABSTRACT
It would be a splendid opening to our essay to state that the Hungarian revolution of 1956 was a phoenix that rose from its ashes. Unfortunately, the statement would be inaccurate, for it did not. But this uprising is far from being the forgotten event that all its gravediggers, who now act out the roles of philanthropic and moderate statesmen, would like it to be. It is not a historical symbol guiding the decisions of social actors, but has become part of popular historical mythology. What this revolution meant and against what enemies it was fought (if not against the ‘Russians’, which is too vague a description) have become as much obscured for people all over the world - people whose memory has been indelibly engraved with scenes of jubilant crowds smashing Stalin’s statue and Soviet tanks on the streets of Budapest - as has the exact meaning of every other important historical event. But at least all those who were sufficiently mature to comprehend these scenes in what was predominantly a pre-television era have not forgotten them, and the events of 1956 need surprisingly little explanation when mentioned in conversation, whether it be in Iceland or in New Zealand. It is our intention here to contribute to the transformation of the Hungarian revolution from a vague myth to a far more concrete symbol: a symbol that will promote the process of ‘learning from history’ for every interested reader, but for one in particular - the leftist socialist radical, who has an enormous historical debt in this respect.
