The relevance and irrelevance of Dutch anti-communism: the Netherlands and the Hungarian revolution, 1956-57

The extreme, emotional reaction of the Netherlands government to the Soviet intervention in Hungary on Nov 4, 1956, was motivated more by political opportunism and self-interest than concern for the plight of the Hungarian people. Dutch policy on the Hungarian revolution was influenced by its need to gather support for the Anglo-French Suez policy and by its opposition to neutral Afro-Asian countries with anti-western attitudes. The vehement reaction of Dutch anti-communist groups, despite its negligible effect on the Hungarian revolution and world opinion, helped bring national unity and consensus which the Dutch politicians exploited.