Péter Nádas on the failed transformation in Hungary

Hungary's influential elites who arose from the socialist nomenclature have seriously harmed the country's development over the past 20 years, writes author Péter Nádas in the left-liberal weekly Élet és Irodalom: "Together with the multinationals, Hungary's brand new capitalism has built upon the energetic structures of the underground economy that existed during the socialist era. But the crux of the matter in terms of social development is that only those who operated and profited from the parallel economy under communism were in a position to understand its workings. ... Hungary is different from all other post-communist countries, none of which had a shadow economy of this magnitude. ... What was once considered an advantage for Hungary's modernisation has now become a liability. After twenty years the period of transition and people's patience are at an end due to inner tensions and  incompatibility with the new surroundings."

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