Russian history textbook calls 1956 Revolution a ‘fascist rebellion’
August 30th, 2023Opposition-leaning outlets urge the government to protest, while a pro-government commentator claims that the government side has never considered Russia a friend.
The new official Russian history textbook for 11th graders describes the 1956 Hungarian Revolution as ‘a mutiny by fascists’ instigated by Westerners. The textbook, which is the sole history source for 17-year-old pupils, also describes the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Eastern Europe in 1990 as a serious mistake.
On Klub Radio, liberal historian Zoltán Sz. Bíró accuses the government of conducting duplicitous policies towards Russia. Nevertheless, he believes this time the offence is too big to be ignored and the Foreign Minister should at least summon the Russian ambassador to protest.
In a similar vein, Magyar Hang writes that the government has cautiously avoided even the semblance of confrontation with Russia for the past few years. The editors quote two former foreign ministers, neither of whom expect the government to protest, although both believe it should.
In Mandiner, Mátyás Kohán doesn’t find it surprising that the Putin regime teaches falsehoods to Russian teenagers but maintains that Hungary’s right-wingers have never considered Russia as a friend. Hungary, he writes, demands the swift cessation of hostilities in Ukraine which is mistakenly interpreted by the Left as a pro-Russian position. In reality, Hungary just wants to develop economic cooperation with Russia, nothing more, he concludes.