This article is a comparative analysis of state-socialist policies towards the East European Gypsies (Roma). I make two related arguments. First, the Gypsy policies of East European states evolved differently and resulted in considerable variation. Second, notwithstanding the state-socialist social control policies, a measure of independent Romani activism did emerge laying the groundwork for post-socialist Gypsy mobilization.

The objective of this article is to provide a snapshot of Hungary's political, social, and to a lesser extent, economic conditions on the eve of the transition. The paper examines the desperate attempts of the socialist political elites to regain their legitimacy through half-hearted political and economic reform proposals, and briefly surveys the country's profound economic difficulties and its pervasive social malaise.