Agitátorok a vonaton. Vasúti agitáció a Budapestre munkába járók között (1949–1953)
Agitators on the Train: Railway Agitation among Budapest Commuters (1949–1953)

Summary/Abstract: The study presents the government’s efforts to develop and maintain party propaganda on trains used by commuters working in Budapest, and the responses to these efforts by the commuters and agitators themselves. Launching the socalled railway agitation is a true reflection of the regime’s plans to exercise the widest possible control over society. The principal sources for this study are the agitation reports, which provide a unique insight into the period between 1949 and 1953. Although it is not possible to verify whether dialogues recorded in these party documents reflected reality, they are still helpful in reconstructing the real discourses that took place, and in understanding the responses that were of interest for the representatives of the Establishment. The reports mostly provide details about the agitators’ dayto-day activity, problems arising from the unusual place of operation, as well as an insight into contemporary public transport conditions and the daily lives of commuters. Railway agitation was only sustainable for a limited period of time: the intent to maintain and stabilise this programme eventually failed. This story suggests that even in its strongest period, the party state, often characterised as monolithic or totalitarian, was unable to enforce its will on society at all times – what is more, it sometimes failed to run its own apparatus according to plan.

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