A Bibliography of the Hungarian Revolution 1956 [antikvár]

FOREWORDThose who use this bibliography cannot help being aware of thetireless effort its compiler has spent on making it as complete anduseful as possible. His friends, who know Dr. de Beky as the headof a family with three young children, and as a gifted sculptor,and as a full-time member of the staff of the University Library,marvel at his having found spare time and energy enough forcompiling any bibliography at all. The reason for his wishing todo so is of course easy to understand; at the time of therevolution he and his family were in Budapest where he worked onthe editorial staff of Truth, "the newspaper of the revolutionaryyouth". He and his family left Hungary for Canada in November 1956January 9, 1963ROBERT H. BLACKBURN,Chief Librarian,University of TorontoThe Hungarian Revolution of 1956 is an event the historical signifi-cance of which becomes continually more apparent. At the time, itwas too profound an emotional experience, for those involved and formillions of people on both sides of the Iron Curtain, to permit ob-jective assessment. Feelings* of frustration and failure provoked agrim oversimplification of the consequences* In Hungary the im-mediate consequences were indeed grim, and many Hungarians paiddearly for their heroism. These consequences are, however, stillunfolding, and it is by no means as clear now as it seemed then thatthe sacrifices were vain.Although the failure of the Revolution to maintain itself was ablow to Western prestige that should not be minimized, it was alesson which sobered the West out of delusions on which unsoundpolicies towards Eastern Europe had been based. It was not that itremoved delusions about the nature of communism, because there waslittle about Soviet policy in 1956 that should have been unexpected.What it removed rather were delusions about the efficacy of diplo-macy which ignored factors of power. The early attempt to blamefailure on the United Nations as if it were an abstraction hasbeen succeeded by a more realistic appreciation of the relationshipbetween the capacity of the United Nations to maintain order and thepower of member states.What could not at all be appreciated in 1956 was the effect theuprising would have on the Communist world. At the time, it shookloose doubting Communists in many countries and has fomented scepti-cism among the young people and intelligentsia in all Communistcountries, including the Soviet Union. It made a profound impressionalso on ruling circles in Moscow, and even more so in other Communistcapitals, and has undoubtedly been one of the main contributingfactors in unhinging the Communist monolith.It is still too early, however, to strike a balance sheet or