Since the Soviet Union had liberated it in the Second World War, Hungary was placed in the Soviet sphere of influence. Not allowed any wiggle room under the control of Josef Stalin, Hungary was under total Soviet Control. But Stalin died, leading to the rise of Nikita Krushchev, the Soviet leader who believed in peaceful coexistance", allowing the Soviet Union's satellite nations more freedoms. As good an idea as it was, it would later bite Krushchev in the rear.