Western images of Communism are mainly influenced by media sources and images that project an unflattering view of the Communist Bloc, that is, the Soviet Union and its satellites. However, in reality, Poles, Russians, Romanians, Czechs, Slovaks or East Germans experienced Communism in a very different way from Hungarians due to their specific cultures and historical precedents. The Hungarian version of Communism, which we always called ‘socialism’, was coined Goulash Communism by the British press. Rightfully so, since another nickname, “the happiest barracks in the camp” also suggests life in Hungary was a bit better than in the other countries, mainly due to the reform policies of the regime that evolved in the wake of the unsuccessful 1956 Revolution. The Kádár era – named after János Kádár who ruled the country for 36 years – was a soft dictatorship compared to other countries: here there were no food queues, and even travel to the West was allowed (albeit with some restrictions).

In reality, Hungary was quite sealed off from the West where it always craved to be. Having no choice after the trauma of 1956, Hungarians unwillingly had to accommodate to the system forced upon them and develop survival strategies.

The purpose of this leisurely tour is to give you a fascinating overview of what life was like under a soft dictatorship which people then considered a natural state of affairs.