50 Years Later, the Hungarian Revolution's Legacy to the West Lives On

By ELLEN FICKLEN

European and American universities welcomed student refugees in 1956, nurturing a generation of intellectuals

Fifty years ago, with a rare mix of altruism, guilt, and admiration, colleges and universities throughout the Western world opened their doors to thousands of student refugees from the failed Hungarian revolution. Most of the students arrived with few belongings — let alone transcripts or other records — and those who ended up in English-speaking countries