http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1221064/Oppressive-grey-No-growing-communism-happiest-time-life.html
Oppressive and grey? No, growing up under communism was the happiest
time of my life
By Zsuzsanna Clark
UPDATED: 16:15 EST, 17 October 2009
When people ask me what it was like growing up behind the Iron Curtain
in Hungary in the Seventies and Eighties, most expect to hear tales of
secret police, bread queues and other nasty manifestations of life in
a one-party state.
They are invariably disappointed when I explain that the reality was
quite different, and communist Hungary, far from being hell on earth,
was in fact, rather a fun place to live.
The communists provided everyone with guaranteed employment, good
education and free healthcare. Violent crime was virtually
non-existent.
Zsuzsanna Clark, right, aged 14 with a friend
Golden years: Zsuzsanna, right, aged 14 with a friend
But perhaps the best thing of all was the overriding sense of
camaraderie, a spirit lacking in my adopted Britain and, indeed,
whenever I go back to Hungary today. People trusted one another, and
what we had we shared.
I was born into a working-class family in Esztergom, a town in the
north of Hungary, in 1968. My mother, Julianna, came from the east of
the country, the poorest part. Born in 1939, she had a harsh
childhood.
She left school aged 11 and went straight to work in the fields. She
remembers having to get up at 4am to walk five miles to buy a loaf of
bread. As a child, she was so hungry she often waited next to the hen
for it to lay an egg. She would then crack it open and swallow the
yolk and the white raw.
It was discontent with these conditions of the early years of
communism that led to the Hungarian uprising in 1956.
The shock waves brought home to the communist leadership that they
could consolidate their position only by making our lives more
tolerable. Stalinism was out and 'goulash communism' - a unique brand
of liberal communism - was in.
Janos Kadar, the country's new leader, transformed Hungary into the
'happiest barracks' in Eastern Europe. We probably had more freedoms
than in any other communist country.
One of the best things was the way leisure and holiday opportunities
were opened up to all. Before the Second World War, holidays were
reserved for the upper and middle classes. In the immediate post-war
years too, most Hungarians were working so hard rebuilding the country
that holidays were out of the question.
In the Sixties though, as in many other aspects of life, things
changed for the better. By the end of the decade, almost everyone
could afford to go away, thanks to the network of subsidised
trade-union, company and co-operative holiday centres.
My parents worked in Dorog, a nearby town, for Hungaroton, a
state-owned record company, so we stayed at the factory's holiday camp
at Lake Balaton, 'The Hungarian Sea'.
The camp was similar to the sort of holiday camps in vogue in Britain
at the same time, the only difference being that guests had to make
their own entertainment in the evenings - there were no Butlins-style
Redcoats.
Some of my earliest memories of living at home are of the animals my
parents kept on their smallholding. Rearing animals was something most
people did, as well as growing vegetables. Outside Budapest and the
big towns, we were a nation of Tom and Barbara Goods.
My parents had about 50 chickens, pigs, rabbits, ducks, pigeons and
geese. We kept the animals not just to feed our family but also to
sell meat to our friends. We used the goose feathers to make pillows
and duvets.
Zsuzsanna Clark aged seven at elementary school in Hungary
Star pupil: Zsuzsanna aged seven at elementary school in Hungary
The government understood the value of education and culture. Before
the advent of communism, opportunities for the children of the
peasantry and urban working class, such as me, to rise up the
educational ladder were limited. All that changed after the war.
The school system in Hungary was similar to that which existed in
Britain at the time. Secondary education was divided into grammar
schools, specialised secondary schools, and vocational schools. The
main differences were that we stayed in our elementary school until
the age of 14, not 11.
There were also evening schools, for children and adults. My parents,
who had both left school young, took classes in mathematics, history
and Hungarian literature and grammar.
I loved my schooldays, and in particular my membership of the Pioneers
- a movement common to all communist countries.
Many in the West believed it was a crude attempt to indoctrinate the
young with communist ideology, but being a Pioneer taught us valuable
life skills such as building friendships and the importance of working
for the benefit of the community. 'Together for each other' was our
slogan, and that was how we were encouraged to think.
As a Pioneer, if you performed well in your studies, communal work and
school competitions, you were rewarded with a trip to a summer camp. I
went every year because I took part in almost all the school
activities: competitions, gymnastics, athletics, choir, shooting,
literature and library work.
On our last night at Pioneer camp we sang songs around the bonfire,
such as the Pioneer anthem: 'Mint a mokus fenn a fan, az uttoro oly
vidam' ('We are as happy as a squirrel on a tree'), and other
traditional songs. Our feelings were always mixed: sad at the prospect
of leaving, but happy at the thought of seeing our families again.
Today, even those who do not consider themselves communists look back
at their days in the Pioneers with great affection.
Hungarian schools did not follow the so-called 'progressive' ideas on
education prevalent in the West at the time. Academic standards were
extremely high and discipline was strict.
My favourite teacher taught us that without mastery of Hungarian
grammar we would lack confidence to articulate our thoughts and
feelings. We could make only one mistake if we wanted to attain the
highest grade.
Unlike Britain, there were 'viva voce' exams in Hungary in every
subject. In literature, for example, set texts had to be memorised and
recited and then the student would have to answer questions put to
them orally by the teacher.
Zsuzsanna Clark enjoys a day out with her cousins during their
childhood in Hungary
High spirits: Zsuzsanna enjoys a day out with her cousins during their
childhood in Hungary
Whenever we had a national celebration, I was among those asked to
recite a poem or verse in front of the whole school. Culture was
regarded as extremely important by the government. The communists did
not want to restrict the finer things of life to the upper and middle
classes - the very best of music, literature and dance were for all to
enjoy.
This meant lavish subsidies were given to institutions including
orchestras, opera houses, theatres and cinemas. Ticket prices were
subsidised by the State, making visits to the opera and theatre
affordable.
'Cultural houses' were opened in every town and village, so
provincial, working-class people such as my parents could have easy
access to the performing arts, and to the best performers.
Programming on Hungarian television reflected the regime's priority to
bring culture to the masses, with no dumbing down.
When I was a teenager, Saturday night primetime viewing typically
meant a Jules Verne adventure, a poetry recital, a variety show, a
live theatre performance, or an easy Bud Spencer film.
Much of Hungarian television was home-produced, but quality programmes
were imported, not just from other Eastern Bloc countries but from the
West, too.
Hungarians in the early Seventies followed the trials and tribulations
of Soames Forsyte in The Forsyte Saga just as avidly as British
viewers had done a few years earlier. The Onedin Line was another
popular BBC series I enjoyed watching, along with David Attenborough
documentaries.
However, the government was alive to the danger of us turning into a
nation of four-eyed couch potatoes.
Every Monday was 'family night', when State television was taken off
the air to encourage families to do other things together. Others
called it 'family planning night', and I am sure the figures showing
the proportion of children conceived on Monday nights under communism
would make interesting reading.
Although we lived well under 'goulash communism' and there was always
enough food for us to eat, we were not bombarded with advertising for
products we didn't need.
Throughout my youth, I wore hand-me-down clothes, as most young people
did. My school bag was from the factory where my parents worked. What
a difference to today's Hungary, where children are bullied, as they
are in Britain, for wearing the 'wrong' brand of trainers.
Zsuzsanna Clark today
Looking back: Zsuzsanna Clark
Like most people in the communist era, my father was not money-obsessed.
As a mechanic he made a point of charging people fairly. He once saw a
broken-down car with an open bonnet - a sight that always lifted his
heart. It belonged to a West German tourist.
My father fixed the car but refused payment - even a bottle of beer.
For him it was unnatural that anyone would think of accepting money
for helping someone in distress.
When communism in Hungary ended in 1989, I was not only surprised, but
saddened, as were many others. Yes, there were people marching against
the government, but the majority of ordinary people - me and my family
included - did not take part in the protests.
Our voice - the voice of those whose lives were improved by communism
- is seldom heard when it comes to discussions of what life was like
behind the Iron Curtain.
Instead, the accounts we hear in the West are nearly always from the
perspectives of wealthy emigrés or anti-communist dissidents with an
axe to grind.
Communism in Hungary had its downside. While trips to other socialist
countries were unrestricted, travel to the West was problematic and
allowed only every second year. Few Hungarians (myself included)
enjoyed the compulsory Russian lessons.
There were petty restrictions and needless layers of bureaucracy and
freedom to criticise the government was limited. Yet despite this, I
believe that, taken as a whole, the positives outweighed the
negatives.
Twenty years on, most of these positive achievements have been destroyed.
People no longer have job security. Poverty and crime is on the
increase. Working-class people can no longer afford to go to the opera
or theatre. As in Britain, TV has dumbed down to a worrying degree -
ironically, we never had Big Brother under communism, but we have it
today.
Most sadly of all, the spirit of camaraderie that we once enjoyed has
all but disappeared. In the past two decades we may have gained
shopping malls, multi-party ' democracy', mobile phones and the
internet. But we have lost a whole lot more.
• Goulash And Solidarity, by Zsuzsanna Clark, is awaiting publication.
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