Notes on November Tenth
One problem I have when writing is that, while I like happy endings, I invariably seem to come out on the losing side of historical events. It poses a problem at times when you're trying to retain some sense of historical place. The royalists do not defeat Cromwell, the Romaonvs do not escape Ekaterinburg, the Dauphin does end up dead and the Duc D'Enghien is shot in a ditch. That's the thing with history - it doesn't always end the way you want it too.
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 is one such event. The Hungarian people revolted against their government, a puppet regime where Moscow called the shots, and evicted Russian troops from Budapest. A new government was instated under Nagy and for a short time it seemed possible that they would actually get their way. Mr. Kruschev, however, would not let the Soviet grip on eastern Europe weaken and, only a week after withdrawing, the Soviet tanks surrounded Budapest. They reentered the city on the fourth of November and by November tenth the last areas or resistance were crushed.The Soviet forces lost 722 lives and suffered over 1200 wounded; approximately 2,500 Hungarians were killed and 13,000 wounded.
The west did not intervene in the crisis, nor had they promised to support insurrection in the eastern bloc countries, however they were criticised in some quarters for their inaction. It is without doubt that many of the freedom fighters hoped that NATO would support them if they fought against their soviet masters. Radio Free Europe was criticised at the time, although later cleared in investigation, of encouraging the freedom fighters to believe that NATO forces would intervene to help. US President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in possession of a detailed study that advised against American intervention in Hungary. (It can be viewed online here) It is possible to put forward a strong argument either for or against intervention and while it's easy in hindsight to criticise we must remember that decisions were being made at a time when the world stood perilously close to nuclear conflict.
As a struggle for freedom from oppression it offers so much scope to the writer; it is valiant, it is courageous, it is a fight for justice. Sadly, however, it is also ultimately doomed. There is something about such events that has, throughout the history of writing, offered a kind of tragic romance. It was Emiliano Zapata who said "I'd rather die standing than live on my knees," and it is that attitude that makes tragic bravery so common in our literature. It taps into the hope that given the choice of bowing to an oppressor or defending our principles we would do the same.
November Tenth is a story of love and loss. It is a tragedy but I have tried to end it with hope; not perhaps for the main characters but for the unquenchable desire of the oppressed to gain their freedom.
