Prior to reading this book I knew that the Soviet Union had crushed rebellions in 1956 in Hungary and in 1968 in Czechoslovakia. A political science professor professor of mine had made passing remarks about the brutality of the Soviet system but until reading this book I don’t think I appreciated the scope of atrocities committed in Budapest in 1956.
Michener spent time at the Bridge at Andau and helped Hungarians cross the border into Austria. During this time he was able to conduct numerous interviews and collect the materials he needed to write this book. There are a couple of things to note at the outset. He doesn’t use the real names of many of the characters in this book because they still had family members in Hungary. This book was written in 1957 so the Soviet authorities had every capability of extracting retribution on those family members. As a result he took the experiences of three people and turned it into the actions of one person in this book. Also the AVO officer Tibor Donath is a character that Michener created based on his interviews.
Michener makes clear from the start his views on communist Russia. Within the first few paragraphs he states: “In Hungary, Russia demonstrated that her program is simple. Infiltrate a target nation (as she did in Bulgaria and Rumania, for example); get immediate control of the police force (as she did in Czechoslovakia); initiate a terror which removes all intellectual and labor leadership (as she did in Latvia and Estonia); deport to Siberia troublesome people (as she did in Lithuania and Poland); and then destroy the nation completely if the least sign of independence shows itself.”
He further notes on the evils of communism: “That Budapest was destroyed by Russian tanks is tragic; but a greater tragedy had already occurred: the destruction of human decency. In the pages that follow, the people of Hungary—many of them communists—will relate what Russian communism really means.”
Michener outlines the Hungarian Revolution and the Soviet response in great detail in this book. Beginning with the gathering of students in front of Radio Budapest, that was guarded by well armed AVO (Hungarian Secret Police) men, to the battle for Kilian Barracks, to the Russian response, to the flight of Hungarians across the bridge at Andau, Michener tells of of heroic actions of everyday citizens who could no longer stomach communism.
There were times when the book strayed into Hungarian history to provide context for why certain actions were occurring. At times this seemed helpful and at other times it distracted from the story.
Michener Also spends time trying to show that Hungary is not an exception to communist rule. He states “From what I have seen of communist regimes, I am satisfied that each communist country has its exact equivalent of the AVO. The reader can be absolutely certain that a similar force operates in Russia, in Bulgaria, in Latvia, in North Korea, in China and wherever else communism has been in operation for over one year. Evidence from escapees who have fled these countries is unanimous in defense of this contention.“
Overall this is a very good book that outlines the tyranny and horrors of communism and the extreme difficulties in trying to revolt after it has attained power. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
William Wilberforce has been called an agitator for his commitment to ending the slave trade. One of his well known speeches on the subject was given on May 12, 1789.
Cardinal Richelieu has been hailed as a great statesman and as a subversive authoritarian. Depending on who you talk to he was a man needed to strengthen the monarchy in France, or he was a tyrant seeking personal power. Next week I will have a book review that may shed more light on Cardinal Richelieu.
When Lenin was working on his major writing projects he would often pace across the room formulating the ideas that he would write down by saying them out loud. Once he had the idea for what he wanted to write he would often repeat the idea to Nadezhda Krupskaya, who would provide feedback. Once this process was complete he would then write the ideas down.
Here is an AI rendering of what that might have looked like when he was drafting What is to be Done.
This month this community will focus on political subversion. What is subversion? When is it justified? What is the interplay between subversion and agitation? These are some of the topics to be discussed this month.
“You get used to the despot’s shortcomings, when they are not great vices, and the change of an autocratic ruler leads to involuntary fear.”
Sergei Trubetskoi
