1. Why was there opposition to Soviet rule in Hungary, 1956?
The Hungarians were a proud nation with a strong sense of identity. They had played a key part in the running of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which had existed before the First World War and Hungarian nationalists were bitterly unhappy at being part of the Soviet Empire. This discontent exploded in 1956 following years of repression by a leader called Rakosi and spurred on by the uncertainty created by Stalin's death...