An analysis of the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe. The exceptional case of Hungary is used to support theoretical concepts regarding the transition. The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party and the Hungarian Communist Party are examined in decline, along with the system which replaced them.

This book is the first concentrated effort to explore the most recent chapter of East Central European past from the perspective of intellectual history. Post-socialism can be understood both as a period of scarcity and preponderance of ideas, the dramatic eclipsing of the dissident legacy?as well as the older political traditions?and the rise of technocratic and post-political governance. This book, grounded in empirical research sensitive to local contexts, proposes instead a history of adaptations, entanglements, and unintended consequences. In order to enable and invite comparison, the volume is structured around major domains of political thought, some of them generic (liberalism, conservatism, the Left), others (populism and politics of history) deemed typical for post-socialism. However, as shown by the authors, the generic often turns out to be heavily dependent on its immediate setting, and the typical resonates with processes that are anything but vernacular.

Contributing to the literature on democratic transitions and with a focus on institutional bargaining, in this fascinating book the Hungarian case is contrasted with those of Poland, South Africa and China to explore the contours of what bargaining strategies affect outcomes. The result is an increased understanding of how actors and their interaction can make peaceful transition possible.

First published in 1995, the aim of this book is to review various aspects of the process of democratic transition in Hungary over the period of its first post-communist, freely elected parliament between 1990 and 1994. The studies collected in this book attempt to put them in the context of longer-term trends in Hungarian politics. Hungary offers an example of the problems of political change common to Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc but also demonstrates a relatively stable and successful transformation built on a unique experience under communist rule that helped prepare it for a market-orientated economy transition and political pluralism.

Unlike in other countries of Eastern Europe where the opposition to communism came in the form of single mass movements led by charismatic leaders such as Václav Havel and Lech Wałęsa, in Hungary the opposition was very fragmented, brought together and made effective only by the authoritative, significant but relatively unknown Árpád Göncz, who subsequently became Hungary’s first post-communist president. This book charts the political career of Árpád Göncz, outlining the outstanding contribution he made to Hungary’s transition to democracy. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including archives and interviews with Göncz himself and others, it shows how Göncz, unlike Havel who was a playwright and whose political role was largely symbolic, was a campaigning politician all his life, consistently advocating social democratic, but not communist, values. Imprisoned from 1956 for his participation in the 1956 uprising, Göncz was a highly-effective political operator in the transition period around 1989, and as president wielded real power effectively. As politics in Hungary are again marred by deep division and fragmentation, Göncz’s success in bringing rival groups together is even more pronounced.

This 2004 Article IV Consultation states that Hungary’s entry into the European Union comes on the heels of impressive accomplishments. Its successes were based on the long-lasting effects of significant structural reforms and privatization during the 1990s, which also facilitated Hungary’s outward orientation, foreign direct investment inflows, strong export performance, flexible labor and product markets, and sound banking system. The success was also rooted in undertaking macroeconomic adjustment measures when needed, and in maintaining an adequate level of international competitiveness.

European employment models are under pressure to meet new external challenges and changing internal needs. Nine country chapters, covering the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Spain, Hungary and Austria, reveal that institutional change in production, employment and welfare regimes is producing uneven outcomes. These outcomes are found to depend not only upon the variety of capitalism or welfare regime but also on actors' political will, at national and European level, and the model's specific architecture. Although examples of revitalization affirm the potential for institutional renewal, the prevalence of partial and incoherent reforms is eroding European employment standards. What is at stake here is the future of the European social model. The problem here is not so much the EU social and employment reform agenda but its influence on the organization of product markets and macro economic management where its policies are constraining options for social innovation.