In 1990, public opinion regarding Hungary’s economic and political future varied among each of its citizens, but the general outlook was positive. Many Hungarians believed a new sociopolitical system, capitalism, would propel them from a socialist past into a present in which bananas, Levi’s jeans, and opportunity were well within reach. However, as the 1990s marched into the first decade of the 2000s and the challenges of system change became readily apparent, many Hungarians found themselves dismayed and struggling to adapt, and some even began to long for Kádárism’s stagnant stability, for the old “happy barracks” where life had restrictions but was relatively easygoing. Today, some Hungarian citizens are increasingly disillusioned by the workings of the European Union and the democratic systems it promotes and wonder how accession ever seemed so appealing before 2004, when Hungary entered the EU. Maya Nadkarni works to explain these wide-ranging feelings of distrust of...
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