Failed Illusions - Moscow, Washington, Budapest, and the 1956 Hungarian Revolt (Paperback)

Winner of the 2007 Marshall Shulman Prize
The 1956 Hungarian revolution, and its suppression by the U.S.S.R., was a key event in the cold war, demonstrating deep dissatisfaction with both the communist system and old-fashioned Soviet imperialism. But now, fifty years later, the simplicity of this David and Goliath story should be revisited, according to Charles Gati's new history of the revolt.
Denying neither Hungarian heroism nor Soviet brutality, "Failed Illusions" nevertheless modifies our picture of what happened. Imre Nagy, a reform communist who headed the revolutionary government and turned into a genuine patriot, could not rise to the occasion by steering a realistic course between his people's demands and Soviet geopolitical and ideological interests. The United States was all talk, no action, while Radio Free Europe simultaneously backed the insurgents' unrealizable demands and opposed Nagy. In the end, the Soviet Union followed its imperial impulse instead of seeking a political solution to the crisis in the spirit of de-Stalinization.
"Failed Illusions" is based on extensive archival research, including the CIA's operational files, and hundreds of interviews with participants in Budapest, Moscow, and Washington. Personal observations by the author, a young reporter in Budapest in 1956, bring the tragic story vividly to life.

General

Imprint:	Stanford University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Cold War International History Project
Release date:	February 2008
First published:	September 2006
Authors:	Charles Gati
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade / Trade
Pages:	280
ISBN-13:	978-0-8047-5964-9
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > European history > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political activism > Revolutions & coups Books > Humanities > History > World history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 Books > History > European history > General Books > History > World history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 Promotions
LSN:	0-8047-5964-2
Barcode:	9780804759649

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