On 23 October, 1956, what began as a mass rally in Bem Square, Budapest, quickly evolved into the Hungarian Revolution. It lasted until 4 November, when the Soviet tanks rolled in. Up to 50,000 Hungarians and 7,000 Soviets were killed, and thousands were injured. Erich Lessing, who found himself in the thick of the action, documented the cruelly short-lived revolt and its aftermath in a series of world-famous photographs, reproduced here in stunning duotone.

Text by: George Konrad, Francois Kejto, Nicholas Bauquet