Hope and Hell

It is the third time that the Zrínyi Publishing House brings out a box set with a book. After the success of “The Great War 1914-1918" and “Military Chronicle – Box Set with a Book on World War II", this year’s most special edition is currently under preparation, to be published for the anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Containing special inserts, like the other box sets with books so far, the volume “Hope and Hell – 1956" will be rich in unique supplementary material.

István Tőrös, the creative editor of the book, told us that the main difference between this book and the earlier ones concerns their thematic structure. In contrast to the volumes on the First and Second World Wars that also described the events of the home front in detail, “Hope and Hell" introduces the events of those 13 days in a strict chronological order, with the help of background information and interesting snippets.

“This book covers a range of topics. Firstly, it describes the new world order of Europe after the Second World War, the establishment of the Warsaw Pact and the Hungarian People’s Army organized on a Soviet model. Then it turns to the reburial of László Rajk and associates and the debates in the Petőfi Circle, the start of October 1956 and the events that occurred on the 23rd of that month, which naturally have a key role in the book. The text describes the deadly volleys fired outside Parliament building in Budapest and in Mosonmagyaróvár on 25th October. It introduces the disposition of freedom fighters’ groups in the capital and their weapons, the role of the Hungarian People’s Army in the revolution, and their armaments alongside those of the Soviet forces. It is less known that the AK-47 assault rifle was first used here under real-world conditions outside the Soviet Union, and the same goes for the T-54-55 family of tanks. The book describes the secret deals between the Communist Party and Khrushchev, the formation of the National Guard and a negotiation between the Hungarian and Soviet sides which proved to be good only for buying time, as the Russian forces launched an offensive on 4 November. It also gives a detailed account of the reprisal after the fall, the civilian fatalities, the deportations and death sentences", István Tőrös said while talking about the structure of the book.

Like in the case of the already familiar box sets with books, “Hope and Hell" comes with plenty of extra material. Apart from the map inserts, facsimiles of some 90 contemporary documents will be inserted in the “pockets" on the 34 double pages, including mostly flyers from 1956 and ID cards (like that of a tank driver), but the readers can also find a report on the trial of executed Hungarian military officer János Mecséri, the death sentence and a document confirming that it was carried out, as well as the replica of an armband of an ’56 national guardsman. Further extras coming with the book include copies of journals “Magyar Honvéd" (Hungarian soldier) and “Igazság" (Truth).

The book is authored by Dr. Miklós Horváth and the expert staff of the MoD Institute and Museum of Military History. For this reason, most photos are from the archives of this museum, but the editors also present a wide selection of materials from country museums and Fortepan. The orders of the Ministry of the Interior and the measures taken by it in 1956 are from the public record office of the State Security Services, whereas the Hungarian National Digital Archive has provided the editors access to period footages, so this volume will be published with three digital supplements. One CD includes a number of emblematic songs of 1956 performed by the HDF Air Force Band Veszprém, and the two DVDs feature archive films and conversations with historians.

“I think that the greatest value of this book lies in its attempt to present the absurdity of those 13 days in a logical system. Those 13 days were filled with hope indeed, and then all hell broke loose" − said István Tőrös, the creative editor of the book.