Revolutions, Flags and Reforms

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was one of the defining crises of post-war Central Europe. Although it emerged from specifically Hungarian political and social conditions, its causes, course and consequences cannot be understood in isolation from the wider transformation of the Soviet-dominated region. Seventy years later, 1956 continues to raise fundamental questions about revolution and resistance, social participation, repression, political adaptation and historical memory. The workshop will reconsider 1956 from a broader Central European perspective. Moving beyond the traditional focus on political events in Budapest, the discussion will examine the experiences of different social groups and local communities, the role of the countryside and the churches, the mechanisms of repression after the revolution, and the ways in which 1956 shaped Hungarian society during the subsequent Kádár era. Particular attention will also be devoted to the possibilities and limitations of state-security records as historical sources, a question of renewed relevance in light of the ongoing review and opening of previously classified archival material. The workshop program will be organised around three main areas. The first will place the Hungarian Revolution within the political and social crises of post-war Central Europe and explore the extent to which 1956 can be understood as a shared regional phenomenon. The second will focus on the social history of the revolution, its suppression and the mechanisms of surveillance and repression that followed. The third will address the long-term legacy of 1956: its changing interpretations, its place in collective memory, and the new questions raised by archival research seventy years after the revolution.

Programme format
13:00-15:00 - Thematic Lab
A closed workshop for doctoral students, featuring academic presentations in Hungarian. The session will provide an opportunity for PhD candidates to present and discuss current research related to 1956, post-war Central Europe, political repression, social history and historical memory in a focused scholarly setting.

16:00-17:30 - Public Roundtable Discussion
An open, public-facing roundtable discussion for all interested participants. The conversation will address current and widely relevant questions surrounding the history, interpretation and legacy of 1956, including recent archival developments, the role of state-security records, the social experience of the revolution and repression, and the place of 1956 in contemporary historical memory. The roundtable will be moderated by Bálint Mezei, Assistant Professor at the Department of Eastern and Central European History and Historical Russistics, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary.