Underground Streams

Download or read book Underground Streams written by János M. Rainer and published by Central European University Press. This book was released on 2023-09-30 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors of this edited volume address the hidden attraction that existed between the extremes of left and right, and of internationalism and nationalism under the decades of communist dictatorship in Eastern Europe. One might suppose that under the suppressive regimes based on leftist ideology and internationalism their right-wing opponents would have been defeated and ultimately removed. These essays, on the other hand, recount the itinerary of survival and revival of ‘right-wing’ thought and activities under communist dictatorship. Resistance and accommodation are explored in the various phases from the Stalinist era to the demise of the Soviet Bloc, with the continuity provided by tacit or concealed right-wing discourses receiving particular consideration. The Eastern European right, both in its conservative and fascist version, centered on nationalism, a legitimizing factor that increased with the downfall of the regimes, and the authors thus accord nationalism special attention. Two documentary sources for these essays that stand out are files of the security services and the exceptionally rich Oral History Archive compiled by The 1956 Institute in Budapest.