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Hungary The Elite
Persons with some claim to elite status made up no more
than
15 percent of the population in the early 1980s. The elite
consisted of three identifiable groups in the 1980s:
political,
technocratic, and intellectual. The political elite
consisted of
top party and government leaders. Although some members of
this
group flaunted their status and privileges, most were not
highly
visible and did not advertise their special status.
Members
appeared to be relatively sensitive to their public image
and did
not indulge in conspicuous consumption. The technocrats
included
managers, directors, economists, and researchers who
supported
the regime. The benefits they derived from the system were
more
visible, in the form of bonuses and salaries and of the
autombiles, villas, apartments, and other special
advantages that
these financial windfalls made possible. The intellectual
elite,
composed of academicians, scientists, musicians, artists,
writers, journalists, and actors, included many persons
who were
comfortably placed, although others lived in relatively
humble
circumstances. They were leaders in setting both social
and
political trends. Members of these favored groups often
possessed, in addition to relative wealth, the important
commodity of influence or "connections." This form of
influence
gave them and their families access to scarce items and
limited
opportunities, such as quality higher education.
Additional occupations that were likely to be
financially
rewarding included medicine, engineering, and, in some
cases,
skilled technicial jobs, such as electricial work, house
painting, plumbing, and building contracting. These
technicians
might have several income sources from their private work
in
addition to salaried work. Intellectuals who lacked high
salaries
but supplemented their income through various types of
consulting
work, such as editing, translating, and so forth, were
also
financially secure.
Prosperous individuals enjoyed a very comfortable
standard of
living. Families who could afford private holiday and
weekend
houses built them on the shores of Lake Balaton, along
rivers,
and in mountain areas. From 1981 through 1987, a total of
30,397
private "holiday houses" were built. As more people owned
their
own automobiles, weekend trips became increasingly
popular.
During the 1970s, more people, even those in relatively
modest
circumstances, began to travel abroad. In 1981 a record
5.5
million Hungarians traveled outside Hungary. Of these,
about
477,000 traveled to capitalist countries, in Europe or
overseas.
As a result of financial constraints, the number of
travelers
dropped somewhat in the mid-1980s. Regulations concerning
the
exchange of foreign currency permitted travel to
capitalist
countries no more than once a year on organized tours or
once
every three years on an individual basis. If a traveler
had
access to additional sources of foreign currency, however,
he or
she could travel more frequently.
Data as of September 1989
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