Seventy years ago today, Hungarians were enjoying the possibility that their Communist government was on its heels, possibly to be replaced by a nascent democratic movement, ushered in by student protests.
uncertain
government → enjoy → protests
But in a few days, that dream would be snuffed out by an invasion by the Soviet Union.
asserted
dream → snuff → Union
As many as 3,000 people were killed, and perhaps another 20,000 were wounded.
asserted
20,000 → kill → ?
The Soviet Iron Curtain descended with a vengeance.
asserted
Curtain → descend → vengeance
Two young girls were smuggled out of the country by their families in the midst of all that violence.
asserted
girls → smuggle → violence
They eventually made lives for themselves in Canada: former CBC broadcasting executive Eva Czigler and author, editor, and publisher Anna Porter.
asserted
They → make → Canada
We reminisced about their lives in Hungary then, and now.
asserted
We → reminisce → Hungary
Let’s start with what kind of childhood you two had in the Hungary of 70 years ago.
asserted
you → let → Hungary
My father and mother had tried to escape Hungary right after World War II.
asserted
father → try → II
My father was Jewish, his family had been wiped out in Auschwitz, his business had been taken over by the Nazis, so he was ready to go when the Communists came in.
asserted
Communists → wipe → Nazis
All his life, he didn’t know whether he resented, detested or despised the Nazis or the Communists more.
asserted
he → know → Nazis
We lived in a single room, my mother and I.
asserted
We → live → room
She and I had both been imprisoned once before.
asserted
She → imprison → ?
She had tried to cross the border and it was illegal to try and leave the country.
asserted
it → try → country
You had to be very careful not to be heard saying something against the government or against Communism or against Russia.
asserted
You → have → Russia
My grandfather was very outspoken and he was arrested and spent 18 months doing hard labour.
asserted
he → arrest → labour
After he got out, we spent enormous amounts of time together.
asserted
we → get → time
He used to take me for big walks and tell me stories about astonishingly brave Hungarians doing impossibly great feats of bravery, and beating the hell out of everybody.
asserted
He → use → everybody
Except, unfortunately, as I discovered somewhat later, this was a rather fictional account because Hungarians had a habit of being beaten up by other people.
asserted
Hungarians → discover → people
It’s a small country in the middle of a rather bad neighborhood.
asserted
It → ’ → neighborhood
What do you remember from 70 years ago today?
asserted
you → remember → What
And on October the 23rd, as the student marches were gaining momentum, the crowds were filling in the beautiful square in front of the parliament buildings.
asserted
crowds → gain → buildings
And my dad, who was very insistent that we witness the history that he thought was about to happen, said to my mother, “I’m taking the girls down to Parliament Square.
asserted
I → witness → Square
They have to see what’s going on.”
asserted
what → have → ?
And my mother was hysterical, convinced that we’d be slaughtered.
asserted
we → slaughter → ?
But we did go down, and it was beyond exhilarating.
asserted
it → go → ?
They were chanting “Ruski go home” — Russians go home.
asserted
Russians → chant → ?
And one of the things that (the crowd) wanted to do was remove that red star .
asserted
crowd → want → star
Ladders were erected and they went up, but it was so tightly fixed to the dome that they couldn’t.
asserted
they → erect → dome
But they could turn the lights off.
uncertain
they → turn → lights
And then there was a statue of Stalin in that square that was also turned over.
asserted
that → be → square
We were very aware that what we were seeing was something dramatic.
asserted
seeing → see → what
It didn’t get violent until Nov. 4, when the Russian tanks came in.
asserted
tanks → get → Nov.
We heard the rumbling and looked out the window and it was unbelievably dramatic and sad.
asserted
it → hear → window
I remember sitting during those nights in a darkened room, curtains drawn, listening to radio broadcasts, imploring the Americans to come and save us.
asserted
curtains → remember → us
We saw bodies in the streets and it was pretty horrifying.
asserted
it → see → streets
I remember I was at school and suddenly the teacher decided it was time for us to all go home.
asserted
us → remember → school
And what I remember is that on the Hungarian flag, they had a symbol of communism in the middle of it (the hammer and sickle).
asserted
they → remember → it
And it had been cut out of the flags.
asserted
it → cut → flags
People were shouting that they wanted the Communist prime minister to be gone.
asserted
minister → shout → ?
…and 51 more, not listed.
The Aporia
