Block path of reaction in Hungary!

(The following editorial appeared in the November 4, 1956, edition of Pravda and has been translated from the Russian.)

The events in Hungary are attracting the attention of the public of all countries. The Soviet people, who have feelings of friendship for the fraternal Hungarian people, cannot but have the profound interest in the successes and difficulties of the Hungarian workers in their struggle for the socialist development of their country.

Millions of Soviet people are profoundly sympathetic with the Hungarian workers' struggle to successfully transform their homeland into a free, sovereign socialist state. We understand the desire of the Hungarian workers, peasants and intelligentsia to raise the standard of living of the population, utilizing the great advantages of the people's democratic system to do so. We understand their just demands for the correction of serious errors committed by the leadership in the past, for the complete abolishment of the consequences of violations of socialist legality, and for the implementation of urgent measures to further democratize public life.

However, along with the healthy struggle of working masses, the actions of the reactionary forces profoundly alien to the people which are trying to destroy the socialist conquests of the workers and to restore capitalism in the country have become increasingly evident in the events of the past few days in Hungary. The anti-popular elements, by using past errors, resorting to demagogic slogans and hiding behind the false mask of "freedom fighters," are trying to deceive the working masses and gain their support. Of course, one should not confuse those among the working people and particularly among the youth who sincerely err with the counterrevolutionary elements who deceive them. These elements are hostile to the people, the interests of the workers are profoundly alien to them and they hate socialism.

As numerous facts convincingly demonstrate, the actions of the reactionary forces in Budapest are the fruit of prolonged subversive work by the imperialist powers. The Nihilists (Nazis) and Horthyists, who entrenched themselves in Western Germany and Austria, have operated on the generous appropriations of the imperialists. This money has been used to conduct an unbridled, slanderous campaign against people's Hungary: Numerous propaganda balloons have been released, radio broadcasts have been made, and the reactionary underground has been established and strengthened. These very reactionary forces are now creating lawlessness in Hungary, wrecking the socialist enterprises established by the labor of the people, destroying state and public institutions and newspaper offices, burning books, killing workers and taking their foul revenge on Hungarian Communists and progressive officials. On the streets of Hungarian cities are found the corpses of the tortured, shot and hanged. The rampant reactionaries are bombing monuments to Soviet soldiers who fell in the struggle to liberate Budapest from the Hitlerite hordes.

Information from abroad shows that the reactionary forces in Hungary are counting on support of the imperialist powers. Armed Horthyist officers and various treacherous emigre rabble are crossing the Hungarian border. The reactionary bourgeois press jubilantly welcomed the news of the activities of the counterrevolutionary elements. The Washington Post and Times Herald frankly stated the hopes of imperialist circles that the victory of reaction in Hungary "will radically change the balance of power in the world," i.e., will strengthen the forces of imperialism and war.

At the request of the Hungarian People's Republic government, the Soviet government agreed to move Soviet military units into Budapest to help the Hungarian People's Army and the Hungarian agencies of authority to restore order in the city. In his October 25 broadcast, Imre Nagy, head of the Hungarian government, stated that the introduction of Soviet troops "was necessary for the sake of the vital interests of our socialist system." However, Imre Nagy, while paying lip service to the danger of the "counterrevolutionary instigators," acted in such a way that objectively he was an accomplice of the reactionary forces; this necessarily complicated the situation in Budapest and throughout the country.

Bearing in mind that the further presence of Soviet military units in Hungary could serve as an excuse for a still greater aggravation of the situation, the Soviet government gave its military command instructions to withdraw Soviet military units from Budapest.

The further course of events showed that the reactionary forces, taking advantage of the direct complicity of the cabinet of Imre Nagy, became even more rampant in Hungary: the bloody terror against the workers assumed unprecedented dimensions. In these circumstances it has become quite clear that Imre Nagy cannot and does not wish to struggle against the dark forces of reaction. The Nagy government has actually collapsed and surrendered its position to the anti-popular elements. Chaos reigns in Hungary. Economic and cultural life have become paralyzed. Industrial enterprises and railways are not functioning. Various types of reactionary groups, concealing themselves behind sonorous titles, alluring programs and demagogic slogans, are claiming power in the country. For example, it is known that Horthyist-fascist elements that are directing the actions of the counterrevolutionary forces are grouping in Gyor.

The people of the socialist countries, united by the great goal of building socialism and the noble principles of proletarian internationalism, are justifiably voicing their alarm at the situation which has developed in Hungary. The anxiety of the workers in the socialist states and their legitimate anger against the intrigues of reaction in Hungary are increasing.

"It is very painful for us to see," writes Jen Min Jih Pao, organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, "that a small group of counterrevolutionary conspirators, taking advantage of the prevailing situation in Hungary, is trying to restore capitalism and fascist terror there in order to drive a wedge into the unity of the socialist countries and to undermine the Warsaw Pact."

The appeal of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party to the working class and to the Polish people stated "the Hungarian events have recently entered a new and threatening phase. It is increasingly clear that reactionary forces are gaining the upper hand. The foundations of the socialist system are in danger. Throughout the country chaos and ferment reign. Reactionary bands are lynching and brutally murdering Communists.

"The Polish working class and all our people are attentively watching the development of events. The reactionary forces which are pushing Hungary to catastrophe are being decisively condemned in Poland."

Rude Pravo, organ of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, stresses that the development of events in Hungary is characterized today by a new step in the rash retreat from socialist ideas, from the firm solidarity of socialist countries in the struggle against imperialist intrigues and in defense of peace. This step was taken by Chairman of the Hungarian government Imre Nagy in his statement on the immediate denunciation by Hungary of the Warsaw Pact. The newspaper also states that reactionary forces have openly adopted a course of excluding Communists from participating in the administration of the country in order to gain a free hand in making a decisive encroachment on the victories of the working people of Hungary and on their basic democratic rights.

The workers of Bulgaria have greeted with profound indignation the anti-popular acts provoked in Budapest by the enemies of the Hungarian working people, by the enemies of peace and socialism. The appeal of the National Council of the Fatherland Front to the Bulgarian people states that the enemies of peace and socialism are making every effort to hinder the victorious march of the peoples toward peace and socialism. Hundreds of millions of dollars are appropriated in the federal budgets of the U.S.A. and other imperialist countries for subversive activity and terrorist acts against the socialist countries. The Bulgarian people, the appeal points out, express their fraternal solidarity with the Hungarian working people and their anger and indignation at the insidious plans of the imperialists who are trying to divert the Hungarian people from the path of peace and socialism and to discredit their friendship with the peoples of the socialist camp.

In evaluating the prevailing situation in Hungary, Borba, the newspaper of the Yugoslav League of Communists, notes that anti-socialist forces are coming more and more to the fore. They have taken advantage of the difficult situation in which Hungary found itself and they wish to place the development of Hungary on an anti-socialist path.

Scanteia, voicing the opinion of all the Rumanian people, points out that having learned from the events now unfolding in Hungary, the peoples of the socialist countries will do everything to defeat the intrigues of the imperialist circles and of all external and internal reactionary forces which are directed against the people's democratic system, national independence and peace.

The events in Hungary once again remind all those who truly fight for the interest of the working class and for the great cause of socialism that they must increase their revolutionary vigilance, that they have the sacred duty of standing guard over the socialist victories of the people and vigorously and mercilessly struggling against reactionary intrigues. Through the experience of the revolutionary struggle of the Hungarian working class, the basic Marxist-Leninist tenets on the class struggle are once again confirmed, i.e., the exploiting classes will not surrender their positions without a struggle. These classes, with the support of foreign imperialist reactionary groups, have tried and will try in the future to restore that bourgeois order so dear to their hearts, to place the yoke of capitalist slavery once more on the workers and peasants.

It is known how fiercely and mercilessly imperialist reaction suppressed the revolutionary forces of Hungary in 1919; it succeeded in drowning the young Hungarian republic of workers and peasants in blood. Now the fascist reaction is again trying to repeat the bloody reprisal against those who fought for the cause of socialism in Hungary, and the words of the appeal made by the great Lenin to the Hungarian working class in May 1919 ring out with particular force. In those militant revolutionary days, V.I. Lenin in his article "Greetings to the Hungarian Workers" pointed out the great and responsible tasks of the working class, which has been called upon to overthrow the exploiters, to suppress their resistance mercilessly, not to be deceived by false slogans about "freedom" and to be firm in the struggle for the victory of socialism.

The working class and all the working people of Hungary know very well what the victory of counterrevolution brought to their country in 1919. They learned through their own experience the real value of the false slogans about "democracy and freedom;" under the cover of such slogans, imperialist reaction established the fascist dictatorship of Horthy in the country, bound its fate to fascist dictatorship of Hitlerite Germany, dragged the country into a bloody venture during the Second World War and brought it to national catastrophe.

The workers, peasants and the people's intelligentsia of Hungary did not rebuild their native country by their own labor, develop its economy and culture and create a new life free of the domination of the capitalists and the landowners so that fascist forces could once more come to power or so that the capitalists and landowners should once again seize all the riches of the country! Let reaction rave and imperialists foment; they will not be able to destroy the people's democratic system in Hungary. The Hungarian people worked selflessly for more than 10 years to establish and strengthen it; they took their destiny in their own hands and established their national independent, people's democratic state.

People's Hungary is experiencing days which will be of decisive significance for its future. This is the way the question is posed: Will Hungary in the future follow the path of socialist development or will the forces of reaction which are trying to restore a decadent order gain the upper hand?

A victory by the democratic forces led by the working class will ensure Hungary real national independence, full democratic freedom for all the people, cooperation on the basis of the Leninist principles of equal rights, respect for national sovereignty and fraternal mutual aid with all socialist countries. Only under these conditions will peoples' Hungary have the possibility for a rapid upsurge in her economy and culture, for improving her people's well-being and for gaining the necessary authority in international questions; only under these conditions will she make a contribution to the cause of strengthening peace.

If the anti-popular, reactionary forces prevail with the aid of deceptive false slogans and direct armed violence, then Hungary will inevitably fall into the paws of powerful imperialist powers, lose its national independence for many years, and will become a toy in the foreign policy machinations of the aggressive circles which are making plans for a new war. Having seized power, reaction will establish a regime of white terror, all progressive thought will be fiercely suppressed, the development of the national economy and culture will be hindered.

There can be no doubt that the Hungarian people, their working class and all true patriots of Hungary will find themselves the strength to destroy reaction and to bring the country back to the path of a successful advance toward achieving the great ideals of socialism. The struggle of the Hungarian people to maintain and strengthen their people's democratic system in a free, independent and socialist Hungary will receive the unanimous support of the Soviet people, the peoples of all socialist countries and the workers of the entire world.

The urgent task dictated by the course of events is to block the path of reaction in Hungary!