Transition: A Look into Hungary's Party-State System: A Look into Hungary's Party-State System

Author: Maria Jannati
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: This monograph proposes a fresh perspective on the study of socialist reform and transformation. The book reflects Jannati's years of research on the essence of the party-state system, presenting a complete yet realistic picture of socialist reform and its eventual collapse in Hungary. It objectively describes the structure, operation, self-destruction, and transformation of the Hungarian socialist system from the 1960s to the mid-1990s, highlighting the universality and uniqueness of Hungary's transition. This book not only covers all research on decision-making within enterprises, the state, and party organizations by Eastern and Western scholars but also includes studies of party-state memoranda and unpublished documents, as well as author Jannati's 20-plus years of interviews with over 400 former Hungarian government officials and business managers. Jannati's groundbreaking empirical research explains both the long and fluctuating life of the party-state system in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and its sudden demise in these countries. Moreover, its analysis of universality will help understand the similarities between China's system and its operation compared to Hungary, offering insights for the ongoing transformation to a market economy. Evidence suggests that despite significant differences in size, geographical location, culture, traditions, institutional development levels, and more, the two countries share many similarities. The book objectively describes the structure, operation, self-destruction, and transformation of the Hungarian socialist system from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. It not only covers all research on decision-making within enterprises, the state, and party organizations by Eastern and Western scholars but also includes studies of party-state memoranda and unpublished documents, as well as author Jannati's 20-plus years of interviews with over 400 former Hungarian government officials and business managers. Jannati examines both the operation of the party-state system during Hungary's socialist era and the impact of its legacy on the country's transformation process.