The Legal Effects of a Revolution

The history of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the events that lead to the Revolution, and the analysis and evaluation of the achievements of the Revolution have been the subject of numerous scholarly works. These studies are often quite different, depending on the viewpoint of the writers who come from every political walk of life. For this reason, even on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Revolution, one might be hard pressed to add new elements to the facts or analytical volumes already published. Ironically, however, very little has been written concerning the aftermath of the Hungarian Revolution. No systematic compilation of the legal history of the weeks and months following the Soviet intervention which started the liquidation of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 has been made. The present book will attempt to approach the question of the Hungarian Revolution strictly from the legal aspects and will describe, analyze, and interpret the legal measures introduced during the time between November 4, 1956, and September 27, 1958, when the election of the new Hungarian Parliament was set. Part I consists of a chronological documentation of the foreign and domestic events from February 14, 1956, to October 22, 1956, which lead to the Revolution and the Revolution itself which lasted from October 23, 1956, to November 3, 1956. The inclusion of these historic facts will allow the post-revolutionary events to stand alone without lengthy explanatory remarks. Part II contains an analytical review of measures which help illustrate the violation of international law principles. Part III describes and analyzes post-revolutionary developments of domestic law adopted between November 4, 1956, and the autumn of 1958 when the elections for the new parliament were set. These elections indicated that the measures required for the elimination of most of the achievements of the Revolution were completed.