Hungary had been a Communist state since 1947. By the mid- fifties, the Hungarian people were in the full throws of the effects of this new economic and political regime; estates that had at one time been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years were now owned by the government. Working class people could barely afford enough food for their families, let alone a new pair of shoes or trousers. Society was patrolled by the Hungarian Secret Police (AVO); anyone who spoke of dissent or disregard for the regime, could be reported to the AVO and never be heard of again. These factors and many others amounted to a powder keg that was about to ignite. On October 23rd, 1956, students marched to one of Budapest’s universities with a list of demands for this corrupt government. However on that fateful day, demonstrations turned into deadly battles and unarmed students and protestors were fired upon becoming the spark that ignited the explosion that threw the city into a war zone. A revolution against Soviet occupation raged throughout the cobblestone streets of Budapest. Factory workers, the very people who were supposed to compose the backbone of Communism ideals, were among those who fought the hardest. Women and children also participated in various ways from taking up arms to pouring soap water down the hilly streets to slow Soviet tanks. Within a few days, victory seemed in sight. Then silence. The fighting stopped. A new government began to form.

Victory was short, however, and in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 4th, 1956, Soviet tanks could be heard rumbling down the streets again. This time, they would not be defeated. The Soviets regained control of the city in a few short days, and the last strongholds of the revolutionaries were eliminated. For those who participated in the fighting, fleeing was the only option to avoid arrest, imprisonment, or even execution by the Soviets. In the weeks following the demise of the revolution, 200,000 Hungarians successfully crossed the iron curtain into free countries, primarily Austria. One Hungarian writer said that if 200,000 people made it, then 1 million people tried. The roads to freedom were fraught with danger. Patrols, checkpoints, thick maze-like swamps, and freezing weather all made the journey extremely dangerous.

This is where the story of “No Greater Love” picks up.