"The 1956 Hungarian revolution, and its suppression by the Red Army, was a key event in the Cold War, demonstrating both deep dissatisfaction with the communist system and old-fashioned Soviet imperialism. But now, fifty years later, the simplicity of treating this extraordinary event as an uncomplicated David and Goliath story should be revisited, according to Charles Gati's new history of the revolt." "Denying neither Hungarian heroism nor Soviet brutality, Failed Illusions nevertheless modifies our picture of what happened. Gati finds the revolutionaries brave but their expectations unrealistic." "Failed Illusions is based on extensive archival research, including the study of the CIA's operational files, and hundreds of interviews with participants in Budapest, Moscow, and Washington. A few recollections by the author, a young reporter in Budapest in 1956, help bring the story to life."--Jacket.