Collection of photographs of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution providing an in-depth look into the violent rise and fall of the Soviet opposition. Compiled from a diverse array of photojournalists and news sources, this collection offers a compelling visual account of the failed uprising and subsequent refugee displacement.

Starting off as a student protest in Budapest in October of 1956, the uprising quickly gained traction with Hungarians that were tired of the tyrannical Soviet dictatorship and the secret police. While initially successful in toppling the government and installing a new reformist leadership, the Soviet Red Army returned with brutal opposition in November to obliterate the revolt once and for all.

The images capture the turmoil of a nation at war. Scenes show the freedom fighters, young men and women alike, in demonstration and battle while tanks and dead bodies line the streets. Included are chilling images of violence: a flag of cross drawn with human blood, coffins piled together in a makeshift graveyard after the Magyarovar Massacre, and several images of the war-torn rubble.

One strength of this collection is its inclusion of the events following the revolution. Many images show the migration of 200,000 Hungarian refugees during their often difficult journeys to Austria and other Western European countries. One image shows a group of refugees in Vienna burning the flag of János Kádár, the traitorous new premier of Hungary. Another image shows a husband and wife reuniting with a kiss after having been separated during the evacuation. One particularly haunting image takes place in Hungary months after the revolution at the trial for Dr. Ilona Toth, who received a death sentence for her efforts during the uprising.

The Hungarian Revolution was an interesting event for photojournalism in terms of the timeline of events and period in which it took place. It was a short occurrence, contained in just two months of action, but the success of the revolution swung dramatically. Considered part of the “Golden Age of Photojournalism,” the 1950s had innovations in photo-taking technology such as compact size cameras and flash bulbs that afforded the widespread use of photography. This was also at the height of the wire photos, a new, instantaneous way to send images over long distances. The photographs of this collection were wired to newspapers companies in Chicago, Sydney, Stockholm, Melbourne and London. Many notable photojournalists were present for the Hungarian Revolution and included in this one is Paul Popper of Popperfoto `one of the UK's oldest and largest independently-owned image libraries' and William H. Stoneman, the former chief European correspondent for the Chicago Daily News.