Great changes ahead

The morning of October 28th was largely spent with the government holding negotiations with the leaders of various groups and the military. Additionally, military leaders planned a massive attack on the group fighting at Corvin Lane, but Imre Nagy overrode them in favor of a political solution and called off the offensive.

The Soviet advisors who were in Hungary told the government that they were willing to go along with the concessions that had been granted so far, but they warned Nagy that he should not go any further.

Imre Nagy, who by now had a much firmer grip on what the protestors were asking for, decided otherwise. In the late afternoon during a radio broadcast, Nagy went well and truly beyond what the Soviets would be willing to stomach when he acknowledged the uprising as a national democratic revolution and that the population’s anger was justified. Nagy further announced that Soviet troops would leave Budapest, as well as that the ÁVH secret police were to be disbanded, with the formation of a new police force or national guard to replace them.

With the overwhelming majority of the protestors’ demands having been met, and indeed, a withdrawal of Soviet troops from Budapest about to commence (which did happen), the revolution had achieved many of its aims. The following days would see even more of them realized.

Zoltán Csipke