April Blog: History in the News
Orban defeated in Hungary - links to 1956?
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Hungary’s recent election as “a victory for fundamental freedoms,” likening the removal of nationalist Viktor Orban to significant historical events like the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising and the 1989 break from communism
"Again against all odds, like you did in 1956 when you courageously stood up, like you did in 1989 when you were the first to cut the barbed wire that was dividing our continent."
The momentous election result in Hungary this week - which resulted in the defeat of the pro-Russian leader Victor Orban - has been likened by some commentators as being similar to the anti-Soviet 1956 Hungarian Uprising and the rejection of communism in 1989.
With the Hungarian Uprising and end of communism on the Option B syllabus, this could be a great opportunity to revise these topics in the context of current events.
What are the similarities between these past events and the results of the 2026 election of the past week? What are the differences?
Revision…
On the topic of revision, please remind students that we have guidelines on how to revise and revision activities on the site to help them prepare for the forthcoming exams:
If you do not yet have student access set up, this would be a good time to do it to allow your students to use these materials in the lead up to the examinations. This is free with your subscription.
We have also uploaded a practice Paper 2 for the June examinations:
Good luck with the preparation for the forthcoming examination session!