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About this book:
Stalin’s death in 1953 led to unrest in several states of the Soviet empire, as their hungry, tyrannized peoples sensed a slackening in the grip of their hard-line regimes. This is an account of the October 1956 student demonstrators in Budapest who attracted growing support from workers and, when the secret police opened fire, from many Hungarian troops. For five days they successfully fought off Soviet tanks, and it even seemed that Moscow might negotiate a withdrawal; but then the tanks rolled in again, in crushing numbers. This stirring story is illustrated with fascinating contemporary photos and meticulously researched color plates.