Agents, Fascists and Provocateurs: Disinformation as an Instrument to Delegitimize Uprisings in Eastern Europe (1953, 1956, 1968) and Its Impact on the Politics of Memory

Abstract

ABSTRACT The use of disinformation and propaganda to brand the uprisings in East Germany 1953, Hungary 1956 and Prague 1968 as ‘fascist coups’ or a ‘NATO-plot’ constituted a prevailing element of Soviet policy against populations of the Eastern bloc and the West. In this article, the content and strategies of Soviet disinformation will be discussed. Overall, these untruths were disseminated to justify military interventions that the Kremlin prepared alongside its disinformation campaigns. Using these three case studies as a basis, an assessment will be given as to which degree disinformation distorts the politics of memory of these historical events. Furthermore, recent disinformation campaigns directed against Ukraine will be appraised and put into the historical context of the East-West conflict.