Historical Failure or Political Realism?

The 1956 Hungarian Revolution’s (Mis)handling by the United Nations

Abstract

After nearly 65 years of the Hungarian 1956 Revolution, several questions remained unanswered, mainly concerning the international responses to the Revolution and the brutal suppression of the revolt. The article examines the possibilities and the limitations of the international organization when two member states violate the Charter of the very organization, they are members of. Based on current archival research concerning recently declassified documents, the (mainly behind the scenes) activity and the (mainly demonstrative) passivity of the UN are analyzed and explained, without offering any excuse for the political pragmatism of the organization that was once built on moral principles.