THE 1956 HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION IN THE DOCUMENTS OF THE STATE ARCHIVE OF TRANSCARPATHIAN REGION: THE RESPONSE OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND SOCIETY

This article highlights the key aspects of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and its reverberations in the Zakarpattia region. As a territory bordering Hungary, Transcarpathian played a significant role in the events of 1956. It was from Transcarpathian that Soviet troops were deployed to «suppress the counter-revolutionary uprising». In particular, the rifle corps of the Carpathian Military District, consisting of one rifle and one mechanized division, began their incursion into Hungary on October 24, 1956, advancing along the Chop–Berehove–Vylok axis with the aim of seizing the Hungarian cities of Debrecen, Jászberény, and Szolnok. Around 800 arrested participants in the revolution were transferred to and held in the Uzhhorod prison for several months. The second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Mykola Podgorny, was stationed in Uzhhorod during this period. Near the regional capital, in the village of Korytnyany, a powerful radio station was rapidly set up, broadcasting programs throughout Hungary. It is believed that from this location, the new Hungarian leader, János Kádár, addressed his compatriots, calling for an end to the fratricide. Support for the revolutionary events in Hungary was most evident among the Hungarian national minority in Transcarpathian. Ethnic Hungarians in the region sympathized deeply with the developments in their «historical homeland». As columns of Soviet military equipment moved toward Hungary through the region, protest groups began to form in Berehove, Vynohradiv, and Uzhhorod, particularly among the intelligentsia and students. These groups, using moderate means, voiced opposition to Soviet aggression and sought to inform the population about the events in Hungary. Ukrainian residents of Transcarpathian, especially the youth, also expressed support for the Hungarian revolutionaries’ aspirations for liberation and their anti-communist stance. Through the efforts of the state security services, the Soviet authorities succeeded in neutralizing the influence of the Hungarian events on Transcarpathian. At the same time, regional leadership employed all available means to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Throughout and following the revolution, the Communist Party remained active. Documents from the State Archive of Transcarpathian Region indicate that the authorities continuously monitored the situation and regularly sent «Information» reports to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, detailing the population’s response to the events in Hungary. The situation in Hungary was also discussed at the highest regional party forum–the third plenary session of the Transcarpathian Regional Committee of the Communist Party–held on December 25, 1956. Despite archival “purges” in the early 1990s, materials in the State Archive still allow researchers to trace the public mood in the region during the 1956 Hungarian events and to study the local authorities’ response, particularly regarding the intensification of efforts directed at the Hungarian national minority in the region.