The author joins those approaches which do not regard the system left behind as socialism from the point of view of formation theory but determine it as state capitalism. He depicts the analogies of this „state capitalism" in various third world economies and analyses the operation of these systems as their inner structural-power relations. He arrives at the conclusion that the present changes leave the state capitalist structures untouched and this way, it is impossible to break out from the mistaken circles of the „third world". The author sees the solution in a mixed economy kept in balance with antimonopoly measures which is characterised by private property of small enterprises as well as workers' ownership of large companies.

This article analyses the change of regime in Hungary, 1989-90. The author mostly stresses those steps of different political movements which "depraved" the changes. He establishes that the main tendencies were present already within the frameworks of the Kádárian policy. He states that a kind of pragmatic and illusionless rationalism characterizes the common sense of Hungarian people today. He takes a stand for a radical reformism based on reality which is built from below and which -in contradiction to the political practice in a narrow sense – concentrates on the protection of human interests and the labourers' ownership.

The study analyses the Hungarian reform process, its elements, stages and dimensions from a new angle. He puts its concrete facts, changes on the scale of the developments of the power relations of the world; he discusses the role played by the struggle, decisions and mistakes of the domestic power groups; he points out that those leading the Hungarian reforms were more ready for the change of system than for the de-mocratisation of the system. He underlines the outstanding function of the reform of ownership in the change of system while stressing that under the realistic conditions of the present time, the reform of the ownership relations in itself cannot lead out from the economic crisis… He also emphasises that the same factors hinder development today which made the previous system collapse. He discusses the chances of the various privatisation possibilities and warns against the illusions which induce expectations that copying the modern market economy would lead to the solution of Hungary's problems. At the same time, he argues that the development of the producing sector and the change of the production structure are fundamentally important.

The author enters into debate whith views proclaiming that Marxism is outdated. He points out the topicality of Marxist answers in the issue of modernisation. He refutes the wide spread notion that Marxism does not rely enough on the importance of the personality and that it gives a Utopian response to questions of society. He presents as one of the essential elements of Marxist thinking the efforts in the programme to extend democracy.