Life Inside the Iron Curtain

com·mu·nism

Spelled[kom-yuh-niz-uh m]

–noun

1.

a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

2.

( often initial capital letter ) a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.

3.

( initial capital letter ) the principles and practices of the Communist party.

4.

communalism.

Today, while in the Church in Budapest, i was really hit by how lucky I am to live in a free country like Canada that has been relatively untouched by war and oppression. Our tour guide, Naomi, explained that many places, such as bridges, monasteries, and even this beautiful church had been reduced to rubble by bombs during World War two. It would be terrifying to have to live through  bombs and bullets reigning down on you every day.

A bombed church in Buda

After the war, the oppression for Hungary wasn’t over. To push out the Nazis, the Soviets occupied Hungary, and gradually took over the government. They set up a communist regime, modeled after the Soviet system. All students in school were taught that all major scientific advancements had been made by Soviets. Those who opposed communism, or were deemed “enemies of the people” were jailed or sent to live in isolated communities. The government strictly controlled industry, and picked industries that were not supported by Hungary’s natural resources, such as making steel. This lead to a decrease in the standard of living, even though propaganda sent out by the government stated the exact opposite.

Soviet-era cars on the street in Pest

In 1956, Stalin died, and the Soviet policies were loosened to allow for more freedom of expression, and some political prisoners were released. Soon after, there was an uprising among Hungarian university students in Budapest, and many were killed by police in an attempt to stop this uprising against communism. This “reign of terror” continued until 1963, when the government began to take a more relaxed approach. They began loosening up restrictions, and life got easier. Communism was abandoned in Hungary in 1989.

The flag of Hungary during Communist rule

To learn more, check out:
BBC News: The End of Communism in Hungary
 University of North Carolina Student Wiki-Hungary: 1968 to today

The reason I chose to research communism in Hungary was because I was intrigued by our tour guide’s description of life inside the Iron Curtain today. She lived in Hungary during communism, and said it was very difficult to travel or obtain food or clothing at that time. She remembers the situation improving in 1975, but clothing was still hard to come by. She described the end of communism as immediate, saying, “One day there was water at the stores, the next day they had coke.” This was a very powerful description for me. I was really interested to find out what it would be like to live under communist rule firsthand. I been inspired to go home and learn more about the places we saw in Budapest today, and especially to learn more about life in Eastern Europe during the rise of communism.

Works Cited

Hollander, Paul. "Hungary Under Communism." Global Museum on Communism. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation , 2009. Web. 2 July 2011. http://hungary.globalmuseumoncommunism.org/hungary/history?page=1.

"Communism." Random House Dictionary. 2011. N. pag. Web. 2 July 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communism>.