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Newspapers and other printed materials such as leaflets and posters published in Hungary during the 1956 revolution present a captivating account of the events and debates of that time, but were hard to access for many decades. Some of the publications only appeared during the revolution, some changed name after the revolution, and some altogether ceased to be printed once the revolution was defeated, making them hard to find in the newspaper collections of foreign libraries. Owning such materials was illegal in Hungary after the revolution, and Hungarian libraries did not make their collections from those days available to the general public for decades. Luckily, at present there are many ways to read those newspapers:
A few important dates: The revolution started on October 23 in 1956. Soviet forces replaced the revolutionary government on November 4, and many Budapest papers were censored after that. Fighting ended on November 11. Regional papers published free content longer than the papers from Budapest, but they too were censored after November 11.
The Library of Congress has two microfilm reels, Miscellaneous Hungarian Newspapers from the 1956 Revolution and A Collection of Hungarian Newspapers and Pamphlets Published during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which contain newspapers and other materials published in Hungary during and after the Revolution, from the first day of the revolution -- October 23 -- until December 31, 1956.
Around 1960 the Library of Congress' Photoduplication Service assembled two reels of microfilm containing issues of newspapers, handbills, and announcements published in Hungary during and immediately after the 1956 Revolution. The two reels appear to have been filmed independently of each other and are housed in separate locations.
The first reel (hereafter noted as Reel 1), Miscellaneous Hungarian Newspapers from the 1956 Revolution, contains 26 newspaper titles, plus a handbill published by the Soviet forces stationed in Hungary at that time. This newspaper count differs from the Library of Congress catalog record, which indicates 23 titles, and the table of contents on the reel itself, which indicates 16. This reel (356A) may be requested in the Library's Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room, located in the Library's James Madison Building LM133.
The second reel (Reel 2), A Collection of Hungarian Newspapers and Pamphlets Published during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, contains 18 newspaper titles followed by images of 30 handbills and announcements, issued during and after the Revolution. There is also a three-page index of 17 terms found throughout the reel, for such topics as the "Army's role in the revolution," "Demands," "Life in Budapest during the fighting," etc, as well as a key to the abbreviations used in the index. This reel (Microfilm 7260 AN) may be requested in the Library's Microform and Electronic Resources Center, located in room LJ-139 in the Thomas Jefferson Building. The originals found on Reel 2 form the Theodore E. Kyriak Collection at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and a finding aid to this collection may be viewed at the Online Archive of California site.
Listed below are the newspaper titles of the two reels, combined and in alphabetical order, followed by handbills and other miscellanea. Each entry is accompanied by its bibliographic record in the catalog of the National Széchényi Library (Országos Széchényi Könyvtár -- OSzK), in Budapest. The OSzK record provides more detail about the titles than the corresponding records, where they exist, in the Library of Congress catalog. Naturally, the OSzK record is in Hungarian. The table also contains links to digitized versions that are available online.
Felhivás a magyar néphez. Magyarok, katonák és tisztek! (announcement from the command of the Soviet forces stationed in Hungary, unknown date)
Flyers/handbills/announcements of the Hungarian Revolution (descriptions are taken from the film)
Nos. 1-7: By youth organizations: University Revolutionary Student Committee, Hungarian Young Workers and Students, University Revolutionary Committee, Hungarian Revolutionary Youth Party (in support of Imre Nagy; demands; Party program; general strike)
No. 8. "Foreign and domestic policy reforms" . . . . "This is the program of the Free Independent Hungarian National Party" (handwritten)
No. 9. The Revolutionary Military Council of the Hungarian People's Army's Leadership (demands)
No. 10. The XIX-th District's National Committee "First Declaration" (Oct. 28)
No. 11. The new national government; a list (Oct. 27)
No. 12. The Revolutionary Military Council of the Kecskemét military air-base (calls for moderation, not to attack the evacuating Soviet troops, gallantry toward Soviet women and the wounded)
No. 13. People of Kecskemét (calls on the "people of Budapest" to end the civil war and support Imre Nagy)
No. 14. Miners' Union of Pécs County (calls on Budapest to continue fighting and promises to give military and economic assistance), (Oct. 31)
Nos. 15-19. Kispest: Kispest Revolutionary Youth's Temporary Committee, Officers of the Municipal Police (demands of neutrality, Soviet evacuation, multiparty system, AVH, etc.; officers deny the presence of AVH men in their units), (Oct 29, 30 and 31)
Nos. 20-21. Orders of the Soviet Military Forces' No. 1 Order, November 6, Signed, (informs that the Soviet forces were invited to "render brotherly help," orders curfew from 7pm to 7am, surrender of weapons, go to work) (Nov. 6 and 19.)
Nos. 22-30. Misc. pamphlets, XVI-th district, Kispest, Csepel and general (after the second Soviet intervention, November 1956)
Note that on Reel 2 there are two entries for Népszava (with different publishers, but consecutively numbered) and Szabad Ifjuság (with two different publishers, and the second marked as Vol. 1, Issue 1).
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional digitized versions are included when available. This list is arranged in alphabetical order by title.