Hungary and the victor powers, 1945-1950

the long version

Eric Roman is one of the first scholars to be granted access to the vast, heretofore closed, archive of documents relating to the Communist era in Hungary. This archive includes the files of the Hungarian Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party, as well as minutes of political committee meetings, private correspondences, secret papers, and confidential reports on special commissions within Hungary. Using this material, Eric Roman has created a fascinating portrait of Hungary in the postwar period. He describes the poverty and racial discord as Hungary began reconstructing itself after the war. Roman does not limit his narrative to the country's domestic concerns, however. In what amounts to the only complete English language account of Hungary's diplomatic policy after the war. Hungary and the Victor Powers provides an in depth look at Hungary's relationship to those countries nearest to it, especially the former Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. Eric Roman's Hungary and the Victor Powers, 1945-1950 is a compelling work of history that is destined to be one of the most important books on the subject.