Imre Nagy

Imre Nagy was a lifelong communist who almost led Hungarians to freedom — from communism. As Prime Minister in 1953, he planned to liberalize the economy and release political prisoners. In 1955, he was ousted by the Communist Party. Yet he couldn't escape Moscow's teachings.

When, in 1956, students revolted against the Stalinist government, forcing it to reinstate him, he still addressed his followers as "comrades." Even as he tried to establish Hungary's independence from the Soviet Union, he couldn't bring himself to believe that Moscow would use force against working-class Hungarians. As tanks were...