Youth Programs

This site is an excellent overview of the events of October, written from the point of view of an 8 year old boy. The author was 8 years old at the time, and does a fine job in giving a first person account of his experiences. The language of the account, however, is not child-like. You can tell that it is an adult who is recalling the events. What makes the site valuable, are the links to information on life before the Revolution, life in a refugee camp, maps and so forth. It is a fine resource for teachers of younger grades who would want to use excerpts with their students. The site is easy to navigate and is by far the best site for older elementary and high school aged students who need basic background on this important 20th century event.

This site is an AP History paper written by a high school student. It is a good review of the subject matter and could be a good source for high school students as well as teachers. The article reads rather well, and he cites his sources which can lead a student to further resources. The author also presents some limited background on key events in Hungary’s history.

This is a college paper selected by Loyola’s history department for outstanding scholarship. It is well-written, summarizes causes and events, and sites sources that can be referred to for further research. In addition to educators, it is good material for AP level students.

This is a rather technical site, summarizing the contents of a book entitled The 1956 Hungarian Revolution.  The website features a good summary of some of the information in the book, much of which came to light after the end of Communism in Europe. Reading the site makes you want to get the book. Be sure to type in the entire address, otherwise you get a more general website. This site is for more advanced students of history.

This is a general site with good information on the events of the Revolution. This site is part of “Hungarian Online Resources”. It contains daily updates and various links to ’56 related topics. A good “click” is on Békés-Rainer, 1956. The information here is a bit more detailed than on other sites; again, a site for more advanced students of history.

The reader should click on “1956 Hungarian Revolution”. There is good, solid information that can be useful for understanding the basic events of 1956. It is written as a first-person account. All the “chapters” on the site are worth taking a look at.

This website belongs to the Institute for the History of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It is a great source for information compiled by some of the “experts” on this topic. Resource materials are listed and reviewed; in addition, there are a host of topics and database that can be accessed with a “click” of the mouse.

This short site is easy to read. It includes a reference to the Time Magazine article of January 7, 1957.

or just search BBC, onthisday.
This is a great primary source because it has information provided by the BBC on each day of the year. The material for November 4, 1956 is compelling. Click on “1956: Soviet troops overrun Hungary.”

Take a look at the original article found in Time Magazine for January 7, 1957 by looking in Time Archive. This was the issue that honored the Hungarian Freedom Fighter as Man of the Year. You would begin your search by writing in the title of the lead article, which was “Freedom’s Choice”. Again, this is a valuable contemporary source for information about the Revolution.

This site contains a great piece on how scholars, with historical hindsight, have concluded that the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 can be seen as the deathblow to Soviet communism. This site is for those who are interested in discussing more than just the events with their students, but want to also talk about long-term global ramifications of these events.

This is a very fine chronological narrative of the events that made up the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. Easy to navigate, it provides a clear summary of all the important facts that can be used to help students understand this critical event. It can also be used by older students who want to research the topic of the 1956 Revolution on their own.