The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was the largest anti-Stalinist rebellion in history, with rebels successfully topping the Hungarian government and the revolution was only started by an invasion where the USSR came from. It's also where the term "tankie" comes from, indicating someone who supported the USSR's crushing of the rebellion.
Events
Protests and Statue Toppling
20,000 protesters on 23 October gathered around a statue of József Bem - a national hero of Poland and Hungary as Péter Veres, president of the Writers' Union, read a manifesto to the crowd. Demanding independence, democratic socialism, joining the UN and civil liberties for all people. Afterwards the crowd began to chant songs and people waved Hungarian flags and tore communist emblems down. After being condemned by the government over radio, the protesters toppled a 9.1m high statue of Stalin, with Hungarian flags being placed in his boots.
Mutiny
Protesters gathered around the headquarters of Hungarian Radio, secret police responded by throwing tear gas at the crowd and shooting live ammunition into the protest. The secret police hid weapons an ambulance and tried to resupply, but the crowd stopped them from entering. Soldiers were sent to crush the protest, but they defected and tore off the red starts from their caps. Soldiers began to arm the crowd with supplies from military depots, police cars were set on fire and government symbols were vandalised.
Soviet Intervention
The Hungarian government requested assistance of the USSR, who sent the Red Army to protect the Hungarian Parliament and bridges across the country. Rebels barricaded numerous neighbourhoods, captured Soviet tanks, seized the radio headquarters and attacked secret police who were themselves attacking peaceful protesters outside of a newspaper office. There were reports of Soviet soldiers also showing open sympathy for the rebels. Soviet soldiers also accidentally fought in gunfights against the Hungarian secret police when they tried to shoot protesters, as they (Soviet soldiers) assumed they were the targets.
Government Collapse
Most of the Hungarian military remained neutral in the conflict, and numerous parts defected. Although there were a few dozen cases of rebels and the military fighting, and in one case a fighter jet bombed a protest, killing 17 people. Soon, the government collapsed and some rebels began to attack Soviet troops.
White Terror and Civil War
Some rebels began to carry out torture and executions of communists, secret police and military personnel. This soon led to a civil war between communists (themselves supported by factory workers and anti-fascist World War II veterans) and anti-communist rebels, with the Soviet army acting as a third faction. Workers' councils and popular assemblies spread across the country and rebels fought tanks with molotov cocktails. Anti-communist rebels destroyed public red stars, war memorials, executed communists and Soviet-sympathisers and communist books were burned. Soviet commanders often negotiated local cease-fires with the revolutionaries.