Péter Techet for Die Presse on the reinterpretation of 1956 in Hungary

In an op-ed for the Austrian daily Die Presse, Péter Techet, on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, discusses attempts in Hungary to reinterpret this anti-Soviet uprising in line with the pro-Russian course of Budapest’s foreign policy.

On October 23, Hungary celebrates the anti-Soviet revolution of 1956. Despite this, and the expectation that Hungary should support Ukraine’s current fight for freedom, Budapest continues to pursue a pro-Russian course — with some government politicians even reinterpreting the 1956 revolution to align with it. Techet compares this new approach to memory politics to the Goulash Communism before 1989, when the 1956 revolution was similarly deemed irresponsible.

The article can be read here.