1956: The Year The Illusions Ended

Two illusions died in 1956. One was that Britain could wield her power without interference; the other was that the end of Stalinism would mean a slow liberation behind the Iron Curtain. Suez and Hungary were to prick those balloons. But 1956 was also the year that saw the arrival of The Angry Young Men, the wedding of Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier of Monaco, the rise of Rock and Roll and the personal tragedy of a British Prime Minister.