Hungarians need freedom to live
The events of autumn 1956 had once again confirmed that Hungarians cannot live deprived of their freedom, said Mária Schmidt. No matter how superior the occupying forces may be, Hungarians resist, even at the cost of their lives. ‘The message of 1956 that still resonates today is that we have nothing if we are not free.’ Freedom goes hand in hand with independence; the goal is never a better material livelihood, but the right to self-determination.
Communism cannot be reformed
In the fight against the Soviets 68 years ago, the people became a united nation and the country became one. ‘In those late October days, Hungary showed the world its best self; Hungary became synonymous with courage, love of freedom, national cohesion and heroism.’ Even though the superpower Soviet Union stifled the struggle for freedom after barely two weeks, it still offered the world invaluable lessons: The free world finally had to realise that communism cannot be reformed because it negates the freedom of the individual and does not shy away from any use of force to achieve its goals.
Schmidt warned that it is always suspicious when left-wingers and liberals worry about the legacy of 1956. ‘The Hungarian left has never felt connected to 1956 and has essentially denied the revolution. So today it behaves like a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it demands respect for the freedom fighters of that time.’
Disturbing fashion in the West
3,500 Magyars fell victim to the fight against the communist dictatorship, more than 20,000 were injured in the battles, 228 heroes were executed, more than 20,000 were given long prison sentences, 13,000 were temporarily interned and around 200,000 fled abroad, the historian listed. The West encouraged the Hungarians to fight without helping themselves. ‘The fact that we remained alone in this difficult hour has left deep scars. But the realisation that we can only count on ourselves in times of need has also made us stronger,’ Schmidt is convinced. ‘When Western European politicians draw false parallels between 1956 and the Russian-Ukrainian war, we must remind them that their freedom also stems to some extent from 1956. Because the Hungarian freedom fighters nurtured the hope that world communism could be defeated.’ The director of the Terror House Museum observes with unease that being a communist is fashionable in the West today. Their ignorance, their provocative denial of reality is repulsive to all those who have been robbed of five decades by the communists, she said of this phenomenon.
