Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution by Victor Sebestyen

Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution Reviews

• 
  Jim

  As a Hungarian-American who lived through the period of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (we even took in two refugee families at different times),
  Victor Sebestyen's
  Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution help refresh my memory. Plus, it made me even more furious at the Eisenhower administration's craven failure to pay any attention to the failed efforts of my people to break free of the Soviet yoke.
  
  During the Revolution, the propagandists at Radio Free Europe, in effect, kept promising American and UN aid, going so far as to give specific military advice. But the eyes of Eisenhower and of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold were on the Suex Crisis, which was taking place at the same time. Even the Russians were nonplussed: They had lined 20,000 troops with armor and artillery along the Austrian-Hungarian border in expectation of an invasion.
  
  Over the long haul, the Hungarians won. Janos Kadar, who was put into power by Kruschchev proved to be a good leader -- years after he had all the uprising participants executed. After the Hungarian people, the biggest casualty of the Revolution was all the Communist parties of Europe. Russia's naked aggression did not stand well with the West, and it was one of those subtle turning points in history that preceded by some thirty years the collapse of Soviet Communism itself.
  
• 
  Lorenzo Berardi

  This was an excellent, engaging and quite informative read which happened just when I needed it.
  I've been interested in the 1956 Hungarian Uprising/Revolution for quite a long time, but - by sheer coincidence - one week upon finishing 'Twelve Days' I finally visited Budapest for the very first time.
  
  I guess it might have been rather annoying for my partner (she has just confirmed that it was) being led through the Hungarian capital by me unawaringly lecturing her on events and anecdotes from October '56. And I reckon how more than once I juxtaposed the monumental main streets and squares we were navigating through with the black and white pictures depicting Soviet tanks, urban guerrilla, rubble and destruction dating back to the uprising. Sorry for that, Paulina! And blame on you, Victor Sebestyen.
  
  For reading 'Twelve Days' brought me straight into a Budapest that is no more. I got sucked into a time vortex blowing me away from A.D. 2014 Poland and leaving me stranded but not confused in 1956 Hungary.
  It took Mr Sebestyen's wizardry only a few pages to captivate me and - much to his merit - once I get into the history whirlwind I was reluctant to get out of it. I'll tell you why.
  
  'Twelve Days' is one of those rare history books where the context is introduced and explained thoroughly, the chronology is always clear and the narration manages to be enthralling, coherent and consistent. It reads like a well-plotted political spy story with a Machiavellian cast of characters, but it deals with one of the darkest pages in recent European history.
  Despite of the title he chose, the author doesn't rush to the brave and bloody twelve days of the 1956 uprising/revolution. At the contrary, Mr Sebestyen takes his time to explain what happened to Budapest and Hungary during and after World War II. By doing so the Anglo-Hungarian historian skilfully introduces the readers to a place and time they might not be familiar with and gradually builds up the book to its climax.
  
  Each of the main domestic characters who played a major part in the events leading to 1956 and following it - Matyas Rakosi, Erno Gero, Laszlo Rajk, Imre Nagy, Janos Kadar - is carefully disclosed in an unbiased and quite objective way. True, when it comes to villains Mr Sebestyen stresses out Gero's 'sadistic smile' or Rakosi's 'overwhelming cynicism', but one must not forget that these men sent thousands of people to death and are justly remembered as criminals by Hungarians.
  What I've found interesting is that the author doesn't depict Imre Nagy - now considered a hero and a martyr by his compatriots - as an entirely positive character. In fact, Sebestyen does quite the opposite by showing us an often undecided politician, an excessively cautious man uncapable to cut the bounds tying him to the USSR and reluctant to accept the moral leadership the Budapest crowds granted him.
  In the same fashion, Janos Kadar - the man who took over the power after the uprising/revolution was crushed to bits by the Soviet tanks - could be included into the villains ranks as he was 'loathed as a Judas' by Hungarians. And yet, Sebestyen doesn't portray Kadar as merely a Muscovite puppet but reckons how in the years following the uprising he actually did something to soften things up leading to the so called 'goulash socialism'.
  
  On a side note, my only criticism to the author is that he might have done a better job on the international stage.
  The role played in smashing the uprising by a deus ex machina such as Nikita Kruscev in Moscow is explained but not investigated as much as it could have been. Looking Westwards, Sebestyen expresses some mild criticism towards the lack of interest in Hungary from the US and the UN, but eventually justifies both Eisenhower and Hammarskjoeld for their giving priority to the Suez crisis unfolding in the very same days.
  This point of view is a tad too simplicistic to be accepted completely, but Sebestyen did such an excellent job overall that I can forgive him.
  
  If you are interested in knowing more about the 1956 Hungarian uprising, revolution (or whatever you call it), 'Twelve Days' is a book to get and read soon.
• 
  Roelof Kotvis

  Sebestyen provides an impressive amount of information about the curious events that took place in Budapest in the autumn of 1956, in a style that is very easy to read. Unfortunately, the author is a journalist, not a historian: little effort has been made to distinguish the significant from the trivial, and facts from suppositions. The rather messy annotation doesn't help either. Most annoying are the author's inclination to impress his personal views about the 1956 events upon the reader, and his childish habit of emphasizing the obvious. (What's the point of calling a torturer for the secret police 'sadistic'? That would have been in his job description, wouldn't it?)
  
  There are quite a few books about the 1956 uprising (not a revolution, I daresay). This one describes the events in great detail, but leaves it up to the reader to put them in historical and moral perspective. "Twelve Days" is certainly interesting, but it's far from brilliant. If you have been looking for the definitive handbook on the Hungarian uprising, I'm afraid this book doesn't even come close.
• 
  Adrian Buck

  Sebestyan is best in the middle section of this book. A fast-paced but heavily detailed narrative presented on a day-by-day structure that was well suited to events. I enjoyed the little journalistic flourishes that brought the personalities to life: Cardinal Mindszenty tucking up his cassock so that he wouldn't be identified as a priest; Defence Minister Maléter patting his holster as he remarked the uprising didn't mean end of Socialism in Hungary. This sort of detail is either imagined or researched, the cross referencing of accounts suggests it is researched. Excellent.
  
  The problem is in the Prelude and Aftermath sections where he tries to replicate this one day at time approach. It doesn't work: the causes and effects of the uprising can't be distinctly packaged into events. What's more trying to squeeze them into a diary format means that some important things have been left out.
  
  For example, many of the Hungarian combatants were teenagers and would have been small childen when Budapest was besieged in 1944. During that time over 48,000 Axis, 70,000 Soviet and 76,000 Civilians were killed. Afterwards 400,000 Hungarians were sent to the Gulag, and 30,000 were raped. It makes the 2,500 combat deaths, 2,500 executions and 22,000 arrrests of 1956 pale into insignificance. Would the uprising have happened at all if a generation of Budapest's children hadn't been utterly brutalised? For a blistering fictional account of this time see
  Under the Frog, for the facts see
  Battle for Budapest.
  
  The Aftermath is a mere sketch, mostly concerned with the immmediate implications for Hungary and the conduct of the Cold War - America is of disproportionate interest to Sebestyan. He remarks that in 1989 the post-Soviet republic was created on October 23rd, yet there is no analysis of the how current Hungarian politics is caught in the shadow of '56. Which is strange seeing as I found his research enlightening here.
  
  The uprising was spontaneous and leaderless, or at least conducted by small groups whose only common ground was a hatred of the Russians. At one stage the teenage rebels of the Corvin Cinema were exchanging fire with the patriotic soldiers at Killian Barracks. There was a strong element of civil war that Sebestyan doesn't linger on. Yet, the hatreds of the civil war are apparent today in the frequent disorder that occurs on the anniversary of the uprising, and the attempt by the current Government to rewrite the 1989 settlement. 1956 is still a very divisive event in Hungarian politics, and I can't even guess why it is given the prominence it is. If we want to celebrate a national tragedy, shouldn't we be looking at '44 instead?
  
  
• 
  Otto Benz

  Well-written account of the harrowing experience of the Hungarian revolution against the hated Russian occupiers and communist regime in October 1956. Sebastyen prefixes the 12 days of revolution with an excellent introduction of the brutal suppression of the Hungarians under the Stalinist leader Rakosi and leads on to the surprising and short-lived success of the initial revolt before its inevitable crushing by Soviet military might and ignored by the rest of the world focusing on Suez. Sebastyen includes moving 1st hand descriptions of the events and the horrendous results. Should be required reading for all advocates of communism.
  
• 
  40brown

  I read this on the flight to Budapest this summer. I really know (knew!) nothing about Hungary and wanted to have some kind of familiarity with its recent history.
  
  I am SO glad I picked this up. It is written in an easy to read, narrative style, but still heavy on the history and details.
  
  Having read this prior to my visit, I appreciated all of the monuments (official and not) that are scattered around Budapest (from the shoes on the Danube, to Monument Park, to the bullet holes left in the buildings in Pest...).
  
  I highly recommend it if you want to know more about Hungary's role in WWII. It also makes an interesting study in social movements.
• 
  Jonathan

  Excellent book on an often over looked topic, using declassified documents from both sides in order to paint a complete picture. The author does a good job of blending the first hand accounts, the politics, the quotes, and the documents into a flowing narrative. An interesting struggle where few stood against many, in what ended as being ultimately futile.
• 
  Howard Hill

  While visiting Budapest in the 90's, I was stuck by all the old buildings still showing pockmarks of small arms and tank fire from the 1956 Hungarian revolution. It incensed me to think how many of the Russian bullets and shells found bodies instead of buildings.
  While reading
  
  Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution by
  Victor Sebestyen, one can't help but realize the similarities of the Hungarian revolution with events transpiring in Ukraine today. The two invasions are NOT the same - Ukraine is not staging a revolution, as Hungary was in 1956 - it is a sovereign nation; the number of troops and firepower brought to bear by the Russians is far greater in Ukraine than in Hungary, and the structural damage and slaughter of lives is far more extensive in Ukraine, but the world’s reaction to Russia’s aggression is much the same. The second paragraph of the introduction bears out the similitude: “A small nation, its people armed with little more than rifles and petrol bombs, had the will to rise up against one of the world’s superpowers. The passionate determination of the Hungarians to resister the Russians astonished outsiders.”
  A Hungarian citizen said, “The tanks opened fire on the people standing in the food line.” In Ukraine Russians bombed a theater filled with refugees, many of them children, even with the word “KIDS” written clearly in Russian for the attackers to see.
  In both instances of Russian brutality, American leaders chose to take an “active non-involvement” policy course and as for the world leaders, “After ten days of crisis in Hungary the UN had decided – absolutely nothing.”, much like the UN and the NATO nations have accomplished thus far for Ukraine.
  
  In 1956, “-NATO headquarters, on the orders of Eisenhower, had been given particular instructions to do nothing that could be interpreted as provocative– “, and a Russian tank commander told his men, “Yes. This could be the beginning of World War Three.” Imre Nagy, the Hungarian leader at the time said, “Today it is Hungary and tomorrow or the day after tomorrow it will be the turn of other countries because the imperialism of Moscow knows no borders…” How is this language any different than we are hearing in 2022?
  
  According to the book, when things started going badly for the Russian forces, many thought Khrushchev was in trouble and might lose power for his decisions in 1956. Some say the same about Putin; that his vicious, bloody attack on the people of Ukraine will be his downfall…Don’t count on it; Khrushchev stayed in power for eight years after the revolution.
  
  I don’t think we should continue to compare Putin to Hitler. Hitler’s aggression stemmed mostly from antisemitism and racism. Putin is driven by a need for power and possession at the expense of everyone and everything in his way. Putin should be likened more to Ivan the Terrible or Stalin, being prone to paranoia, rage, and mental instability. You can bet that if more isn’t done to stop the aggression and warring nature of the Kremlin, there will be more Russian leaders of that ilk.
• 
  Carol

  The 1956 Hungarian Revolution is an intimate part of my life as the daughter of a father born in Hungary, who lived it and family was destroyed by it. Yet few Americans realize the Hungarian Revolution was the start of the end of the Cold War. Trapped in the middle of Europe, Hungarians endured Fascism only to be replaced by Communism after WWII. Of the communist countries ruled by Russia, Hungary wasn’t the first to rebel against their dictators but they endured the most brutal treatment of any satellite nation. Even if you have no ties to Hungary, you will find this story about a plucky country who said “no more” to the Russians and the Warsaw Pact, declaring themselves an independent country. You will meet the named and unsung heroes (as well as unspeakable villains) of the Revolution including children and women who joined the men to take back their country.
• 
  Greg

  A marvel of editing. Names spelled differently on the same page! Chapter 31 is “Sunday, 4th November” while chapter 32 is “Friday, 7th November”! (Poor planning to switch from the Julian calendar during a revolution, I guess.)
  
  This one takes the cake, though: “The gifted Paris-Match photographer Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini, twenty-nine, *on one of his earliest war zone assignments,* stepped from behind the cover of a tank for a split second to take a picture. He was caught in the crossfire — from which side nobody knows — and was shot in the stomach. He died of his wounds a few days later in Paris.” Either his earliest war zone assignment was also his last, or his brutal editors sent him on a lot of war zone assignments while he was dying of his wounds.
• 
  Joe Schrock

  Overall an excellent account of the events that transpired. I have to wonder if Eisenhower learned his rhetoric from Churchill as well as the lack of practice. Long before Hungary was abandoned by the West, Poland was not only abandoned but Soldiers and Airmen who helped defend England and Invade Nazi Europe weren’t even allowed to March in the victory parade with the other Allied nations. The abandonment of Poland in 45-46, was a precursor to Hungary and unfortunately confirmed the reluctance of England and the US to live the rhetoric in actuality. It would have been interesting to hear more about English thought, or perhaps Egypt really did trump the continent for English attention other than speeches?
• 
  Madeline

  A very detailed account of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Someone wrote in my library copy that there were lots of grammar errors, but there were maybe 5 throughout the entire book, so someone needs to chill out. If you're interested in the topic, and are super into details, Sebestyen has given you the perfect book for it.
• 
  Erica McBride

  Incredible, detailed history leading up to the revolution during and just after. A must read before a trip to Budapest to understand the country and people more!
• 
  Paul Hardman

  The Hungarians really got it bad. Actually read this on this anniversary of the revolution.
• 
  Harry Helbock

  Very historical, but a little dry.
• 
  Tom

  My son recently returned home from studying in Budapest and brought along a copy of
  Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He seemed to think that it would appeal to a “history nerd” like me. He was right…about the book’s appeal and my interest in most any facet of history (“Nerd” indeed. Disrespectful damn kid). Anyway, I was intrigued by the subject matter, not only because he had just been living in Budapest, but because I realized how little I actually knew about the 1956 Hungarian revolution. In truth, all I really knew about it was that it occurred and that it was summarily put down by the Soviets. Obviously there had to be more to it than that, but as far as who the players were and how events unfolded, I couldn’t have begun to say. Now, however, I understand how complex the circumstances were that led to the uprising and how truly remarkable it was for a student protest to have exploded into a battle that, however briefly, held the military might of a superpower at bay. An absolutely fascinating account and one that was scrupulously researched. Props to the author not only for accumulating the facts, but also for being upfront about what facts could not be established. Where the clinical account of an historian would have altogether omitted mention of anything not fully verified, Sebestyen’s narrative style allows for a number of points to be presented, with the appropriate caveats, as what most likely occurred based on subsequent events. Far from impugning the credibility of the account, this helps bring clarity to the broader scope of what went on in those chaotic days. As a reading experience, I did find this book to be tough sledding at times. Admittedly that was in no small part due to the great number of Hungarian names sounding too similar to my western ear to quite keep track of who was who and how they were involved. While the author is certainly not to blame for that, the sheer volume of names referenced did make for a very densely populated account. The documentation would have benefitted overall by leaving out some of the less relevant references. I also felt that a bit more context would have helped. It seemed there was a fair amount of foreknowledge assumed of how the uprising ultimately impacted the political ideology of the Soviet bloc, the balance of power in Europe, and, of greater interest to me, the daily lives of the Hungarian people. These things were only briefly acknowledged and I found myself wanting to know more. But then again, I suppose that’s not such a bad thing, is it? In any case,
  Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution is not just a sound chronology of events, it is an informative, compelling, and often moving account. For those, like me, who might otherwise be unfamiliar with the Hungarian revolution of 1956, this is a very comprehensive introduction and well worth the read.
• 
  Petr

  It has lot of details, which I (unlike the previous reviewer) found interesting and new.
  
  Perhaps different personal history explains different evaluation:
  I was a freshman in (then) neighboring Czechoslovakia and I remember
  the events in Hungary vividly. Of course, my understanding and memories was based on information then available to us: Official Newspapers and rumors.
  Problem is, that both are often wrong, and even if you average, you end up with distorted story. Foe example: the incidents of (horrific) lynching, which did play a role in Soviet decision to invade, were not published. OR: The rumors was that Soviets removed Imre Nagy from Yugoslavian embassy by force and hanged him. According this book, which I find credible, he was promised safe pass, left voluntarily, and was arrested and spend three years in a prison, before he was murdered, not on Soviet, but on Kadar's insistence. The amount of treachery and lies, and the sad fact that they worked, over and over again, is telling us something profound about the human despair and hope.
  Book is readable, well researched, but to the end (page 295) where author is discussing the US (Eisenhower, Dulles, Lodge) reaction and position, author is, in my view he still naive, or under the influence of 'western propaganda':
  Hungarians (just as Czechs in 1968) were expecting help, some help, from the US. In both cases, the RFERL (radio free europe),(which we did not knew then was run by CIA) was cheering up the rebels, freedom fighter, whatever, cheering them on. Objectively, UN, Security council, was subject to Soviet veto, and it must have been clear to an objective adult,that 'west' , US, will not do anything. (Alas, we were neither objective, nor adults).
  What CIA was interested in was short term propaganda payoffs. The worse mayhem in the Soviet block, the better.
  
  However, history evolves differently then people, be they 'plain people', Demagogues, dictators and rebels, plan and forsea.
  
  In the end, Gorbatchev surprised (not just me I think) us when he answered the question "what the difference was between Dubcek's suppressed Prague Spring of 1968 and Gorbachev's perestroika of 1987", and quipped "19 years [
  books.google.cz/books?isbn=0815730608 ] showing that all those hopes scarifices, passions, and blood, was not spent in vain ...
• 
  Brian Childs

  A gripping account of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Some passages were extremely moving, others covered such intense cruelty they were hard to finish reading. I finished it on my way to Budapest and it has been a wonderful complement to the trip.