Hungary 1989: disillusioned youth, but housing came before McDonald's

Hungary 1989: disillusioned youth, but housing came before McDonald's

A BBC documentary shows young Hungarians in 1989 queuing at a McDonald's, dreaming of a car and a home of their own. None of them lack the basics, but the atmosphere is grey: compulsory military service, learning Russian, a watchful political system. Nobody is desperate, but nobody is excited either. Western propaganda promised a life of luxury; the reality that trinc brought westernisation and, for some, a loss of identity.

The contrast between late communism and the Orbán era

Opinions are divided. On one side, those who lived in the East insist it was hell and that today, with nationalist governments like Orbán's, Hungary is a thousand times better. On the other, some point out that social homogeneity was relative: a 7-10% Roma population already existed, though with fewer problems than in Spain, according to some. For some, the dictatorship of the proletariat was better than capitalism; for others, capitalism brought nothing but false sirens' songs.

The figure that unsettles the nostalgia

While some romanticise the communist past, one specific figure challenges the narrative of a homogeneous society: the Roma population was around 7-10% under the regime, but with state control that prevented visible marginalisation. The uncomfortable question is whether the material security of 1989 justified the lack of freedoms, or whether today's freedom makes up for the insecurity and loss of identity. The debate remains open, with positions as opposed as those of people who liken today's Spain to the Hungarian regime of 1989.

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