History/Political Science paper by Hegedüs, Gyula
Panel proposal: The 1956 Hungarian Refugee Crisis. III. Worker, Writer, Student, Spy: Hungarian Refugees in the UK, 1956-1959 (Accepted)
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
After the Soviet army suppressed the Hungarian revolution in November 1956, approx. 200,000 Hungarians left the country. More than 20,000 of them travelled to Britain between November 1956 and May 1957 as the British government offered to accept all refugees without limit. The Hungarian refugees had different social backgrounds. Most of them were workers who found jobs in Britain relatively easily. 5,000 Hungarians were recruited and trained to be coalminers, although, given the resistance of British miners, only few of them found jobs in the pits. There were some “intellectuals” among the refugees, university professors, writers, artists, many of whom made successful careers in the UK. Hundreds of Hungarian students could continue their studies at British universities and polytechnics. The overwhelming majority of Hungarian refugees successfully integrated into British society in the following decades. The British society welcomed the Hungarians with enthusiasm and sympathy. The refugees were given accommodation, clothes, and food. Free language courses, information booklets and even a Hungarian-language weekly newspaper were offered to them in the refugee camps. Although there were some occasional conflicts between the refugees and the locals, most Brits accepted the Hungarians. The paper will show how the British government, together with various charity organizations, helped the Hungarian refugees and how the refugees of different social background were integrated into the British society.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Gyula Hegedüs is a chair of department and associate professor at Budapest Business School. He graduated in History and English from Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE) in 1995 and received his PhD summa cum laude in 2012 after completing the 19th and 20th century Hungarian History program of the Doctoral School of History of ELTE. His main field of research is British-Hungarian relations in the Cold War era with a special focus on diplomatic and economic relations in the post-war years and the reception of Hungarian refugees after the 1956 revolution.