Before the Uprising
Before the Uprising
The years of 1949-1956 could be described as the gloomiest in modern Hungarian history, as the country's population lived under vicious totalitarian leadership. Eventually, the regime began to disintegrate, leading to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution - a critical moment in the history of the Cold War. But why did this revolution occur in Hungary, rather than any other countries in the Soviet bloc? Before the Uprising examines the specific social, economic, political, and intellectual characteristics of a totalitarian country. Throughout the volume, Peter Kenez questions what the necessary components of totalitarianism are: whether it is a complete state control of the economy, a personality cult of the leader, or a specific type of propaganda organization. By describing the totalitarianism of the past, this volume show what we can learn for the present, and what to expect from the emerging autocracies of the future.
- Describes the establishment, character and ultimate failure of a totalitarian regime
- Questions what we can learn from the totalitarianism of the past which is relevant for the present
- Presents a vivid portrait of a critical moment in the history of the Cold War
Reviews & endorsements
‘A must read for scholars on postwar Hungarian history and for students of totalitarian dictatorships.’ László Borhi, Journal of Modern History
Product details
August 2022Hardback
9781009180429
320 pages
235 × 157 × 20 mm
0.56kg
Available
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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The political system
- 2. Social and economic transformation
- 3. Terror
- 4. Communists killing one another
- 5. Education and culture
- 6. Hungary and the death of Stalin
- 7. The new course
- 8. Counter reforms
- 9. Twentieth Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- 10. The summer of 1956
- 11. Revolution in the air
- 12. Twelve days of freedom
- Conclusion.
