History paper by Rab, Virág
Political and Economic Transitions in Hungary in the 20th Century
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
In the course of the 20th century there were six political transitions in Hungary, three immediately after WWI (October, 1918, March, 1919, August, 1919). These were followed by an extreme right turn in 1944, and then a democratic transition took place in 1945. The communist dictatorship started in 1948, with the fusion of the two left-wing parties. The 1956 revolution started a new era within the communist dictatorship; however, structural changes were only realized in 1989, when after 40 years the communist system collapsed. Political changes must, after a certain time, be followed by economic and social changes. However, in most cases Hungary lacked these changes, due to the rather frequent transitions. This was the same in the case of the relatively longer political eras, like the Bethlen-era or the Kádár-era, as well, which were both interrupted by serious economical crises, the Great Depression and the Oil Crisis, respectively. In this presentation I would like to present the effects of the frequent political changes on Hungarian economy, bearing in mind the fact that more than 20 years have passed since 1989, and the complete economic and social transition have not yet been realized.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Virág Rab is an assistant professor at the University of Pécs, Hungary. She holds a PhD in History. The title of her doctoral dissertation was: "Diagnoses and Therapies: Financial Experts’ Ideas to Solve the Post-war International Financial Problems, 1919-1920".(2007). She has been involved in both teaching activities and research at the Department of contemporary History. Her courses include lectures on political and economic history of 20th century Hungary and Central-Europe. Her current research focuses on Hungarian economy from a global perspective.