On 23 October, European leaders will gather in Budapest to mark 70 years since Hungarians rose up against Soviet rule.
The presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa signals a broader shift as Hungary is rebuilding its relationship with Europe after over a decade of Viktor Orbán’s destructive anti-EU, illiberal rule.
The 1956 revolution was a revolt against dictatorship, censorship and Soviet domination. Hungarians demanded political freedom and the right to determine their own future as a democracy.
Orbán twisted that history, using state propaganda to portray the revolution as a warning against Brussels and EU interference. But following the former Prime Minister’s defeat in April, Hungary has a new opportunity to reclaim the revolution’s democratic legacy.
A new chapter with Europe
Hungary has already started to reorient towards the EU. It has approved the opening of four negotiating clusters in Ukraine’s EU accession talks, marking a shift from Orbán’s resistance to progress on enlargement which weaponised the EU’s veto vote system.
The country has also started reversing parts of Orbán’s domestic legacy. Parliament repealed provisions of the 2021 law restricting the portrayal of LGBTQ+ people to minors, marking a significant step for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
It has also announced plans to make communist-era state security files publicly searchable from 4 November, the anniversary of the Soviet invasion. The move offers a chance to confront a history long clouded by secrecy and move towards a more transparent future.
The fight for freedom continues
For ALDE Party member Momentum Mozgalom, the shift towards Europe must go further. The party continues to campaign against laws restricting individual freedoms and is pushing for closer ties with European partners and liberal democracy.
Party leader Kincső Szilas will travel to Ukraine for the anniversary date - a symbolic affiliation on such a day.
Today, Hungarian history carries renewed relevance as Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine. It now has an opportunity to turn its own experience of Soviet repression into solidarity with Ukrainians fighting for their country’s freedom.
The chants of “Russians go home!” heard after Orbán’s defeat echo the defiance of 1956. For liberals, Hungary can now build on this momentum and rally around the lessons learned from the revolution.
The arrival of European leaders in Budapest offers a visible sign of closer ties. But the real test will be whether Hungary continues its democratic transformation as an illiberal state in flux.
The revolution of 1956 was a fight to free Hungary from authoritarian rule. Seventy years later, that struggle remains unfinished. The task now is to build a Hungary rooted in democracy, protected freedoms and a stronger European future.