Gyorgy Gyarmati and Tibor Valuch chronicle the significant years between the end of the Second World War and the game-changing events of 1989. During the so-called Rakosi Era, the Communist Party strictly controlled the operation of government and society, but everything changed with the revolution of 1956. The authors follow these events in depth and pay considerable attention to the Kadar Era (1957-1989) and the affect of "Hungarian Socialism."