Hungary 1956

The official commemorations of the 1956 uprising provide a window onto the state rituals and the symbolic politics of the right-wing government. Cultural anthropologist Gergely Pulay gives a commentary on the events that took place on 22-23 October, 2016 in Budapest. ++++ Die offiziellen Gedenkfeiern zum 60. Jahrestag des Volksaufstands von 1956 bieten einen Einblick in die staatlichen Rituale und die Symbolpolitik der ungarischen Rechtsregierung. Der Kulturanthropologe Gergely Pulay kommentiert die Ereignisse vom 22./23. Oktober 2016 in Budapest.

Why was 1956 more than just a freedom struggle against Soviet occupation? Historian Márkus Keller and '56er' András Bíró explain the role of Workers' Councils and forgotten dimensions of the revolution. ++++ Ungarn 1956: Die vergessene Erzählung Warum war 1956 mehr als nur ein Freiheitskampf gegen die sowjetische Okkupation? Der Historiker Márkus Keller und der ‘56er’ András Bíró erklären die Rolle der Arbeiterräte sowie vergessene Dimensionen des Aufstandes.

What is the relevance of 1956 for younger generations? We asked a slammer, a historian and university students to share their views. ++++ Ungarn 1956: Lehren für heute Worin besteht die Relevanz von 1956 für jüngere Generationen? Wir baten einen Slam-Poeten, einen Historiker sowie Studierende um ihre Meinung.

Women rarely appear as agents in their own right in official and lay narratives. We asked feminist scholar Andrea Pető to highlight women's role and motivations for taking part in the uprising. +++ Ungarn 1956 aus feministischer Sicht Frauen treten in offiziellen und inoffiziellen Erzählungen nur selten als ihre eigenen Anwälte in Erscheinung. Wir baten die Genderforscherin Andrea Petö, die Rolle und Motivation von Frauen in dem Aufstand zu beleuchten.

During the 1956 uprising in Hungary, the coat of arms named after the Stalinist dictator Mátyás Rákosi was cut out of the national flag by revolutionaries. The hollowed flag was quickly adopted by those who sympathised with the uprising as the central symbol of resistance to state repression. After 1956, the Rákosi coat of arms was removed from public spaces. However, one copy sur-vived in the town of Salgótarján. The symbol appears as part of a large white limestone relief that decorates the façade of the county hall. It was from the roof of this building that members of the state security apparatus opened fire on demonstrators on 8 December 1956, killing several dozen civilians who had gathered to demand the release of leaders of the local workers’ council who had been detained by the authorities. This event is considered the bloodiest act of repression outside the capital after the defeat of the uprising. As part of their exhibition “HACK THe PaST”, artists Katharina Roters and József Szolnoki decided to bring the largely forgotten relief to life by organising a drama workshop in January 2016.