Study this source. Source B 'The Hungarian government has decided to declare Hungary's neutrality and to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact. We appeal to our nei...

Source analysis

Source B is a radio broadcast by Hungarian Prime Minister Imre Nagy on 1 November 1956. Nagy announces two dramatic decisions: declaring Hungary's neutrality and withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact. He appeals to the United Nations and to neighbouring nations to respect these decisions. The tone is simultaneously defiant and desperate. The appeal to the UN suggests Hungary felt vulnerable and expected a forceful Soviet response. The conciliatory language ('live in peace with all nations, including the Soviet Union') attempts to present Hungary's actions as non-threatening. The phrase 'their voice must not be silenced' implies the Hungarian people's demands were at risk of being suppressed by force.

Contextual knowledge

The broadcast's context is crucial for understanding its message. Just three days later, on 4 November 1956, approximately 200,000 Soviet troops and 4,000 tanks invaded Budapest to crush the uprising. Around 2,500 Hungarians were killed and some 200,000 fled as refugees to the West. Nagy was arrested, secretly tried, and executed in 1958. The UN appeal was ultimately futile: the Western powers were distracted by the Suez Crisis (which began on 29 October 1956), and the UN had no mechanism to compel the USSR to withdraw. The broadcast represents a final, desperate attempt by a leader who likely knew the Soviet Union would not tolerate Hungary leaving the Warsaw Pact, given its strategic importance as a buffer state.

Mark scheme (Levels of Response) [7 marks]

• Level 1 [1-3 marks]: Simple paraphrase. For example, 'The message is that Hungary wanted to leave the Warsaw Pact.' No analysis of tone, purpose, or context.
• Level 2 [4-5 marks]: Identifies the message with source details. The message is that Hungary wanted independence and self-determination, and that Nagy was appealing for international support because he feared Soviet intervention. Uses specific language ('neutrality,' 'must not be silenced') to support the interpretation.
• Level 3 [6-7 marks]: Explains the message using source details AND contextual knowledge. Places the broadcast in the context of the uprising and the Soviet invasion that followed three days later. Recognises the broadcast as a last appeal from a leader who understood the danger, and uses knowledge of the subsequent invasion and Nagy's execution to show how events vindicated the source's anxious tone.

Exam reminder: When analysing speeches or broadcasts, pay close attention to what the speaker does not say directly but implies. Nagy does not explicitly say he expects a Soviet invasion, but the appeal to the UN and the plea that Hungary's voice 'must not be silenced' both suggest he feared exactly that.