The pre-history of Hungarian and Romanian 1968ers

Abstract

This paper focuses on the Romanian and Hungarian youth of the late 1960s. More specifically, it aims at understanding how their childhood experiences differed from those of their counterparts in the West and even in other Soviet Bloc countries, and how this influenced their tactics of opposition. The oral history interviews present a more complex picture than one of a simple generation gap between the 1968ers and their parents. In some cases, the former challenge the authority of their parents, while in others they continue their struggle.