Roundtable on György Péteri’s <i>The Everyday and Private Life of a Communist Ruling Class: Greed and Creed</i>

What made this work so fascinating for me is how György Péteri uses a variety of sources—indeed all imaginable sources—to get inside a reality that is resistant to outsiders coming in and understanding it. We call that reality “state socialism,” a system that emerged to shape and govern the lives of tens, indeed hundreds of millions of people for more than a generation, and that now belongs to history.That system was not totalitarian, no matter how popular that word may have been among dissidents in East Central Europe who knew its workings intimately.1 Perhaps it was not even “dictatorship over needs.”2 One does not feel the presence of a dictator in the complex reality Péteri describes. Maybe the content of his pages is not susceptible to being captured by any label we possess, just as populism seems inadequate to describe countries afflicted with illiberal strongman rule. After 1956 Hungary was no longer a society governed by fear, which is not something one can say about Stalinist or fascist reality.János Kádár’s Hungary featured an order that enveloped people, structuring their lives; and as in our societies, we find decent liberals trying to make sense of their reality and navigate its choices in relation to their values. Many of them shared the emancipatory language of the socialist regime and realized they could use it to seek its fulfillment, helping to create values whose import went beyond themselves and their direct interests.I am thinking here for example of András Hegedüs, who did not reject the compromises of economic reform and rationalization out of hand but still did not lose a sense of the ideals that took him into the party. He was neither a cynic nor an opportunist (though one does encounter such figures in Péteri’s text; I will refrain from naming names), but considered the basic, still very distant constellation of the socialist project, with its belief in the humanization of social life, to be his own personal guide. He fruitfully tried to shape, and reshape, the reality that we call state socialism that had descended upon the lives of Hungarians.For such socialist liberals, consumer society had come to seem unavoidable, and indeed even worthy of moderate celebration if it worked properly. But if unchecked and not directed, they feared, it might lead to new kinds of stratification that were undesirable, even destructive.The issue was not so much inequality in wealth, the thing that bedevils our social orders, but the way that certain consumer items had the effect, in Péteri’s words, of seeming to reflect “one’s actual but also wished-for social status, material situation, [and] individual and familial success.” “For that reason,” Péteri continues, “these items may promote (or undermine) social integration” (21). Thus even with a society where the basic source of capitalist exploitation had been overcome, namely private ownership of the means of production, a basic consumption orientation was opening the way to an unbridled lust for goods that might result in class-like differentiation via conspicuous ownership—for example of cars and clothing. Reforms might produce an acquisitive type of profit-oriented society, and thus the “demise of the socialist project” (22); they might the of a does the fascinating thing of into the of people who to that from might not be for moderate liberals of our to with their I into for socialist liberals, who also I say the What does it to feel for the of were not just any in their own Péteri’s socialist liberals, were not and they were neither nor the which in state socialism so much does one about for their and Péteri’s one a of about and but I was the to a with in the Stalinist more in than even so that to an to was and did the coming from over to their but it also a to with and all this with seems to have the the of the and the more they the more they and be of the by and of and their for that I have a more of the the to the to to of One of by the of were all to What does one this just with the of to that the we about were of a had no to say the But the that its were than was not the of the the of a was even than among made me how Péteri’s into a about the of namely did among the over in a to in any in the by the had come to the into the was no was to be more than the of not in their project, but knew they the as a the of was all in in and to Péteri’s and we get a fascinating of the of this in in a of and that a of could not the all state socialism could in basic with the society and in and among which it we call that system was not to the Péteri to life, that socialism was with the in East Central Europe or or even not in it state socialism was a from of in the East socialism by Perhaps such dissidents were the of socialist they the system to to its to the and of Péteri’s Péteri’s to them and their to and that the for is to and to the of I will his own that a sense of that of am not to even to any of the who were the of by Central I will refrain from their of the is to the of the by a of acquisitive lust and by of the to goods and words, we to it was for people to in a they had and how they to their in with that had of the Central the was not of the we encounter to What Péteri is to their and or words, for his a of of Péteri’s fascinating new and of a and the of the in a that the own or his personal to his of Péteri an his is a of how the choices and of to the of the socialist in Hungary and by the of the its themselves to be by their their as the than their to create a and more for the of the that was for state to create new or Hungary the no new socialist no of socialist and no new socialist Péteri that socialist Hungary was not a of capitalist consumer that Hungary was a of capitalist consumer society, a one find in a that was not the where life, even for was by and than by words, if in Hungary was from in the this was not Hungary was but a of its of economic of the is not that themselves material to private or the of they did the that the their to a socialist for a of a of consumption as the the of an socialist One of the is the private in the of the were the to have to personal in Hungary via cars and that to them by of their cars were to be for use but they to Péteri their own they to them their private to the private and a of private ownership in their own order to they for they it into an for this the the to create a socialist of socialist to capitalist they took to be their and them for the of Péteri they themselves to be by their the of and this was how they their own sense of the of the that the is that their sense of the from the of the which from them to the of the to the and they be to their the being in private cars the of their own private as from the and a were to to the and of were more to to and to and One in the is the of the in consumer and in the and the of the over as to state socialism as by the of its have this out that socialism did for of for as a more and use of the over private and they and the and his the or not was a of its ideals and the or where for a to the were by the who had no in it all come to the and whose was the system for their own people might say the as the did their own and they did a of than people, their were if we them to the in Hungary is that in a system by be with so example from the is a of an in in the by the to with a for But it out that of the in the were to in the and were as as the and more the one this is a of the state from the people for its own the the that went to the were of the in the did indeed to one of the in the was the of the in the might say that a system where the lives in the as a and the is the of the was not a of but of a to One could say that socialist their if they had they took they the were in by the Central is how we about their the of the one of the Péteri for the were and made to a but they did get to their and the be from their a But even their and their it is that were by and the how their to by that was for them a was a of that to in the of we could this as a it seems that they the to their as a of to themselves and of socialist does as a a of a the one it is that the of an socialist of the that is by the values of the socialist which can be but be for the that were so by their that they their values of social and if they were into the system that they a the to just out for their own might an as as but could not more and was to have a as a might not be the of a socialist the it is from the capitalist could this and come a system that was to find a way to use to the out of its were more in their own cars and of a society to social they just a of capitalist that no values of and social to was not to his out of his to make his own even nor was to the and make into a not the socialist system was I not I feel the to state I we to the it did and was one of as I the where in the of and the and of the I feel the to have something to of to that the values a society even if with the to and that values is not an Péteri’s in an system were not to the of the to their own they still had to to the values they were to to in this of even if socialism the of it to and it was to it might to and create a more to capitalist one that more our with the to a of people the of a decent and of in a that the of his the consumption of the in socialist Hungary as a to the of socialist the his with an the of a of the in his into a private by material and this and fascinating Péteri his personal into the of his it as a source of is of his own the of the an of the of the for a into the lives of a social that not to with its in and that were from the to in cars with than the to in consumption as Péteri to the of the socialist to an his Péteri a of the lives of the in were as a society a as the they were a in a their of they an example of the the a of to which they themselves as the the of the to and in order to themselves from the Stalinist the of the their to goods and the to them in the to of was the of the by the of the economic the of the and new to in the for an is a to Péteri’s it and such in their of this is even more in the of such as and I am in of Péteri’s that socialist any socialist for that to consumer and them with in words, to of of goods for it was the of for the by the of the that the the was still with such as the of more goods and the and for in of individual and the for social Péteri consumption that over actual I that such as were very and means and the of goods were for the that consumption in socialist Hungary be the of as a in their to into with a I am by the of this as an for understanding if we a of as a system in that consumption in of individual still in how people in socialist countries and to goods and in to their capitalist we can and that a of the as to how economic and shape our understanding of and to and how to the socialist to Péteri is as to capitalist was the of the and the for is by the to a which no from such as and beyond the of the to be as an socialist consumption from the as to and an very to is also the of we still as and is a as a over a of the and had very of a and this understanding the Péteri’s work just as and be just as as an as it the of more than it to our the consumption of the Péteri that consumption of goods a and to the for that to the as the this the presence of a of if goods of for in to for such how goods upon them might a more the of goods the in own could come with a of and create more to than from their or their to a own I in of in Hungary a of which realized the in of choices seem to have been by an of for as and as and have in their was by a of status, situation, and individual of an consumption that to material a of as a or as a for What is from the is that goods were not of but were Hungary and the into the of people into the for might not have been so to I to the issue of the the of who the from but from Péteri’s example of the use of was one the of the had to them and them for private who via their in the had the means to own cars and were not to their by in this as a the understanding of consumption by which was by is by consumption that can be with the of the socialist we Péteri’s of it the of this to socialist the understanding of that new might have the new the to in all of this have for the of the and the socialist system as a the Péteri the to have a into consumption in socialist for an and individual of the also as of them a of their it is a and for to the of how this of the consumption to the worked in also that of such as took out of the of the even more of or did to them consumption made it into the of of the of into the private of in socialist their to for a and as a means of how people in the of that the of personal consumption in Hungary in the Péteri also the by and to the of is a Péteri had of the so personal all the But this is not a will and will so by in the that I will the of the use of and to I will the of that as by and me with among the over just how and to they in consumer in the of Hungary with the over the of in the by in were to the One the the of about the that consumption to the socialist project, to the and of people as a for socialist is a fascinating of the of the to be more and in the and of goods from about the by their that they be the use of a in order to that in the of the also that they had a for they were so the issue a of was it to that the as a for the they to the as have was it in the of to a new to and as of socialist in relation to to their to their or was it that could be by that cars in order to their use by was this to and to to the of and to their own were to to the of the to in also be to a the of personal consumption the over the of among the to the of no one that the use to the over who have were made to the of to the to that the the be to and over that the of to the was and the to to that they a Péteri in his is the of and being by private in the the that one was not so much a to for as the to to the of the and we the of personal to the use of cars by who their by the to their or opening the private to with of to was by Péteri’s of Kádár’s or a as a of to Kádár’s personal how this may have I have in of the in which were for it was not in with socialist I if it is all to to this to or was shared by the it to more to this was Kádár’s personal to not shared by his me to the of the of by or by Péteri’s is a the kinds of and even for their to the were of that in them from the of people which one might made it more for them to the that the We this in the way they themselves in and and in the way they themselves in of and the issue of in a than the of the use of goods and a more of such as the of by and to or in in the use of for Péteri that the and private for were and to was One could that this is where and or people were as so that the was more here did not it was that were for of the were was that they or of socialist so this made the with a of the in in which his with a of in the did so as Péteri the in of of and is a very of the social of the I as that in of the of to to to in have a by the socialist state the consumption of a of goods and by for to not the also of to and consumption in this for of acquisitive a from the of for to cars and of acquisitive their of to private and Péteri of the of the for was as of personal I to that were but or may have the of certain for a but they were of people were in in to the were the the and in the the were for in the not to in kinds of an example from the where I did in the of the was a and to as if were the of the as to one was from the to a private I the to does We about I was of is a a from the the is it in to the of state for and in is a of the people in to private in the and to to and and that had to the was were to their all over the where were and to they the had to their the was to with who were to the in the of their not this of work was an was of and to this the state we have to I that the among were more of the and of were in a also themselves of for private can we about the of to a new in the of but the was in the and to in and the to make this of consumption the in did the that were much more in by the means of state from in the their own private did they have or were they just the in for and of György Péteri’s and of a and with much encounter with it in the of the for East and in where a of and had an about it. the the is about the that the and ideals of socialism the one and that of the of the that and is more complex than the the of the in the that it can something if from I considered as I the as to still be in the I was very to that state the of the in of who is and is and who is and is the of the I was even more that the work Hungary and the of new the and to this very was the I can even being by the of cars did they did they for the of socialism and What about Péteri’s for and as the of state socialism in the and the a of the as as about and the in the of Péteri out an variety of source from the of the the of a of and of the to the of András and all the fascinating that were by the I was by the of the for of and of the Central from which was a of socialist was out to a of the for the by the to the and about the of in society from the of the and the with and a new of the is the and for the may have been a and or in the with the and so may not have with and but I Péteri is the the of a and it was indeed and by and the I to the that the upon the is a of the society as who in the of the the to the and to the was for might be for Péteri does not the of the the I could not but if the is much to the Péteri I and this it was the that as the social to and and of the by of their and the they for the of this was After it was Péteri who the in his I that an can be made that with the opening of the for and the in of a with the hundreds of of to Hungary to and of which was the result of the of that and and were to the with the of the and the own the and were all the of in the or of the own in it was not the that the to but and it I did not to have and the may or may not have had in their I to have them and in Hungary had in their not to of the of that was in of the and as this and and economic with that of the I but if is of his He this [and] the social order in Hungary as a it is the and of the that into I am After I to be I to own I that all its were Hungary did the of the the as Péteri to create a and and of and by and they did not but I very much with the and in Hungary as One could to the that inequality in or the of for to from the to an which is in Hungary the for and of his about his I of the and of be from the new for we a call to and the from of their the way did in the for the they did the and production, the or is a complex György Péteri of thinking or about the and state socialism with of for to into the and the to the to and his to be and the make this a for who to about the of of Péteri is among the of the social and of state his about his in a in Hungary in the and Péteri in the to make sense of him as a and to an and a a and his and cars the of in the as Péteri in the and of a and been as a that with a new and and state the and is of and his or with this and Europe from and the from the of the of the and the of and which the of the of the and of the to this a of to also as a of of the new and with the of of and the of the to the in its of the consumption and ideals of the of society in an is the in the and a from to how socialist the a Péteri that of social and to their and Péteri in and an of the in his the which one of the that Péteri the and East and the and thus for as a than an by and the out in this and even in socialist were or than in their material and consumption by cars such as or and to a of private and to Péteri thus East had a that was no to and ideals of the to was one which the the of in and the Péteri and and this is also where his about state He and to use the consumption of a to describe capitalist Péteri thus out and state socialism,” the in the and to create a as a to the the and of the of socialist and the of to the his of the of the the and them by that it the did indeed a with to the shape of and private state of was that of society to a they the way for the of capitalist One the as if was one as Péteri in which capitalist ideals the After and and popular in the with popular capitalist much more than the of of that the of the with their as of the Central come as the of society than an with a and and that could have been a for did not his to a into the private lives of with its is indeed a of this this a of to and a that still East is the who as the in a Péteri about his and as a of a a of the with a of Péteri’s an social who had and was in the of the the and in a the and the and the a Péteri is of the of the as a and the of the regime to with the the also out to the as the of of socialist or of Péteri does not make use of this to the of his state his in the of the the of the 1956 and is the of the of the and as Péteri and of the in the than the source of social the and the of the to the and of been made by the in where a of new the for the of with the of the of Péteri’s if does not with the of the the to in of its with of and is in the in in which the of a of to the regime a illiberal of or a of new state state the of and of also in a by the in the in one that was not to the this and of a is of György which the of socialist a and to the and of and their economic to the to this for to the of that have emerged and much to of an in much of this which how and of the of them of from the state in the of state the of social not been popular in the and in Hungary such a by Péteri a as and to the personal of the which the made by a of the in Péteri’s is the of and over and of which not or Péteri the was and the to and cars of work can is the to which the with

Récupéré en direct depuis OpenAlex et désinversé. Les résumés ne sont pas conservés dans cette base de données : les index inversés représentent 8,6 Go des 9,3 Go de texte de la base, et le serveur dispose de 13 Go libres.