The Embassy of Poland, The Embassy of Hungary, the American Hungarian Federation, the Hungarian Technology Center, Fairfax County Development Authority, The Cold War Museum, and South County Secondary School invite you to participate in Cold War Conversations: The Uprisings and Revolutions of 1956. After Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953, Poland and Hungary tested the bonds that tied them to the Soviet Union; America responded by expanding its national defensive shield via the activation of its Nike Missile System. This conference will explore two major events that occurred during this period: the Poznan Uprising in Poland and the Hungarian Revolution.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to hear from three panels. The first panel will include noted Polish historians talking about the Polish uprising: Dr. Padraic Kenney, Dr. Krzysztof Persak, and Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz. The second panel will focus on Hungary during the 1950s and in particular the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. We are pleased to have with us Dr. Imre L. Toth who was a member of the 1956 Hungarian government. Dr. Charles Gati, author of Failed Illusions: Moscow, Washington, Budapest, and the 1956 Hungarian Revolt, will join Dr. Toth on the Hungarian panel. Finally, Mr. David Eisenhower, grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, son of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, will close our day with an international perspective of the 1950s.

We look forward to hosting 600 attendees, which will include 300 Fairfax County Public School students. While the primary goal of the conference is to review the events of 1956, we also hope to introduce a new generation of students to these historic events. South County Secondary School students will be asking participants to share their Cold War experiences as we work to develop the Cold War Museum’s Oral History Lab which will be housed at and run by South County Secondary School students. The proposed site for The Cold War Museum is about one mile from South County Secondary School, within the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Cold War Heritage Park, the former launch area of the National Nike Missile Site.

Speakers include: Dr. Padraic Kenney, Dr. Krzysztof Persak, Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz, Dr. Christian Ostermann, General Bela Kiraly via video, Dr. Imre Toth, Dr. Charles Gati, Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, Mr. David Eisenhower, Ms. Linda McCarthy

Conference Home
Conference Registration
Conference Agenda
Directions to South County