Violence And Violins: Prof Recalls His Role In The Hungarian Revolution
As the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution approaches, the 82-year-old Nagyvary has written his recollections of those days in his new book, Violence and Violins.
By Keith Randall, Texas A&M Marketing & Communications October 13, 2016
In late October 1956, Joseph Nagyvary found himself smack in the middle of the Hungarian Revolution as a 22-year-old student at the University of Budapest. The future Texas A&M University professor was using his chemistry skills in an unlikely way – making Molotov cocktails to throw at Russian tanks, and he literally did not know if he would live from one day to the next.
Today, as the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution approaches, the 82-year-old Nagyvary has written his recollections of those days in his new book, Violence and Violins, an engrossing account of his life under a dictatorship.
Things peaked in November of 1956 when Russian tanks rolled into town and began killing hundreds of the student-led revolutionaries called “Freedom Fighters.” Due to some lucky coincidences Nagyvary survived, and eventually made his way to the United States and the Texas A&M campus, where he taught for almost 40 years before retiring a few years ago.
“I was an eyewitness to history and also a participant,” Nagyvary explains.
“It was a terrible, awful time. The Soviet commanders and their Hungarian henchmen were absolutely ruthless – if they thought you were even remotely involved in the revolution, they would execute you on the spot.”
The problems in Hungary had started on Oct. 23 when thousands of protesters led by college students demanded a more democratic political system and less oppression from Soviet rule, plus economic reforms. Russian tanks soon cruised through Budapest to put down the revolt and within days at least 2,500 Hungarians had died in the ensuing battles.
“The fighting was contagious,” Nagyvary recalls.
“The shooting and throwing of Molotov cocktails was started by working class teenagers, but soon we were drawn into the battle against our better judgment. I could not resist joining them.”
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