The October 1956 Hungarian Revolution was a noteworthy chapter of the decades-long Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Union and the West. A spontaneous uprising took Hungarian Communist authorities as well as Soviet and Western leaders by surprise, and its scale and influence prompted Soviet authorities to militarily invade Hungary less than two weeks later. After a few days of violent fighting, the revolt was crushed. As a consequence, a pro-Soviet leader was installed, and some 200,000 refugees left the country in the wake of the events.<BR><BR>Of the several Western countries that opened their doors, Canada was especially welcoming. A mass outpouring of public support spurred the Canadian government-to action, and over 35,000 Hungarians made their way to Canada over the next few months. This was the first time Canada had accepted so many refugees of a single origin, and the experience seta precedent for later refugee initiatives.