Although the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the revolution were marred by anti-government protests, historians meeting to mark the event came to a consensus, said historian and former president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Ferenc Glatz.
?The professional, academic outcome of the 50th anniversary of 1956 has been more positive than its political outcome,? Glatz said. He added that neither Government nor Opposition had tried to influence meetings of historians scheduled for the anniversary.
The anniversary year will, unfortunately, remain in memory as one of political turmoil, but, in the long term, the work of historians and academics could be more lasting, Glatz said.
Historians agreed that the 1956 Hungarian Revolution was the only uprising in the history of communism that was not economically motivated. Rather the forces behind it were purely political. They also agreed that the uprising was not simply the result of conflict between two large groups within the party ? Imre Nagy?s group and Mátyás Rákosi?s group. They noted that, after 1948, policies caused discontent among a broad swath of Hungarians, including farmers, city dwellers, shop owners, tradesmen and workers, Glatz said.
Source: Múlt-kor / Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
