The Great Transformation, written by the Hungarian born Karl Polanyi, has become a basic work for sociologists and economic historians in the West. McRobbie investigates how Polanyi used cultural instruments in his analysis of the capitalist economy.

An evergreen debate among Hungarian historians has run around the personality of Arthur Görgei, commander in chief of the Hungarian army in the 1848-49 liberation war. Ronai describes him as an adventurer, who was far from identifying with the real objectives of the revolution and liberation.

There is no natural place for our region on the Western part of Europe. We are, and will be between East and West, and should behave accordingly. Analyists and politicians should investigate not only the alleged advantages of the Euro-Atlantic integration, but disadvantages and difficulties as well.

The US, IMF and the World Bank dictate macroeconomic stabilisation for East-Central Europe, while the countries of the region have to adjust to the trade regime of the EU. This situation gives an unresolv-able task to the rulers of the Vishegrad countries. The West insists on their hegemony, but it is still unclear what they want to use it for.