Why didn't the americans intervene during the hungarian uprising of 1956?

Question: Why didn't the americans intervene during the hungarian uprising of 1956!?

try and give a detailed explanation please! its really importantWww@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

sweeting doesn't know!Www@QuestionHome@Com

-The whole uprising lasted 18 days from the time the students tried to enter to the end of it all, !.!.!.!. (not much time for a foreign "intervention")
-The first 8 - 10 days were mostly back and forth negotiations (not an "international" incident by any means) between the government/politburo and the 'people'
-Soviet forces only entered on Nov!.4 !.!.!. a scant six days form the end

-Timing did not lend itself to mobilization!.
-ARMED conflict with the communist world was not something the US was ready for!. (the US will go, or has gone, to open war with anyone for any reason, except communism which it feared thus the "cold" war)
-Public criticism from within Hungary itself (which US could act on, or use as a measure for ready/willingness) didnt start until just 14 months before the uprising, why intervene unless you KNOW the people are ready!.
-Khrushchev was determined to make a stand in Hungary if need be, as such a US intervention woudl have DEFINITELY been met with force!. He is reported to have said "We should reexamine our assessment and should not withdraw our troops from Hungary and Budapest!. We should take the initiative in restoring order in Hungary!. If we depart from Hungary, it will give a great boost to the Americans, English, and French--the imperialists!. They will perceive it as weakness on our part and will go onto the offensive!.!.!. "

On Oct 24th (the day after) the US did recommend the UN sec council convene specifically on the issue, !.!. but that is all the US was willing to doWww@QuestionHome@Com

Actually, you are all forgetting one huge reason!. Eisenhower had burned all of his European bridges during the earlier Suez crisis!. Specifically, when Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal and was attacked by the conglomeration of England, France and Israel, Eisenhower undercut all of them in the UN and basically ended Europe as a world power!.

When the Soviets crushed Hungary, Eisenhower had already discredited our European allies militarily and then had lost the ability to use our allies' soil to mount any sort of intervention!. Eisenhower didn't even make an attempt to do anything in the UN!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You mean the USA!. They had only just pulled out of Korea!.
The oil question hadn't raised it's ugly head in 1956 as far as the USA were concerned!. They had enough oil of their own at the time!. There were other things going on - like the nationalisation of the Suez Canal, which also didn't excite the USA!.
With two world wars in such a short time, I think most countries were wary of a third world war and no one was really interested in taking on the might of the Soviet Union!. Anyway, the USA probably wouldn't have been able to locate Hungary!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Hungary was one of the countries of eastern Europe that was controlled by the Soviet Union!. The Americans knew that to go into Hungary might trigger a full blown war with the SU!. In general, American foreign policy was to preserve the status quo and not to change it!.
True too: the Prague spring took place with NO foreign intervention!. It was possible the Soviets would simply allow the new freedom to take root!. But once the Soviets had moved in with tanks, the US would have to begin a shooting war with the Soviets to dislodge them!.
The Soviets had a far larger military presence in the region than the US!. A showdown could have resulted in a loss for the US unless it would be willing to commit a huge influx of troops!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

During the Cold War, both the US and the USSR carefully marked out their spheres of influence!. Hungary was in Eastern Europe and a Warsaw Pact Nation, and US interference would have certainly brought about direct retaliation by the Soviets, perhaps in Berlin!. Given the fact that Egypt and Israel were simultaneously fighting over the Suez Canal, it wouldn't have taken much to blow the whole thing into WWIII!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Mostly due to Cold War tensions!. Although we were practicing brinkmanship, which means we were pushing the line of war with Soviet Russia, Hungary was thought to be too deep into Soviet terrritory!. Intervening in this little war could have caused worldwide nuclear war!. also, we were already intertwined in the conflict in Korea at that time!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

In addition to the other very good answers!.

In 1955 the Soviets tested their H-bomb!. So to try to intervene in Hungary could've started a nuclear war!. (They already had the A bomb)

See:
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Soviet_atom!.!.!.
http://www!.fas!.org/programs/ssp/nukes/in!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Too tired of war, only 11 years out of World War II and 4 years after Korea!. You'd have had to attack the US to get a war going!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Maybe they were too involved with Elvis Presley! America has had their nose in too many different countries affairs!. They should help their own!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Hungary has no oil
Russia would have got involved too and they are too big to fight!.
They were busy in Indo-ChinaWww@QuestionHome@Com