Huhák Heléna - Agitátorok - A kommunista mozgósítás a pártállam kiépítésének mindennapjaiban (1948-1953)

With what means did the communists try to convince ordinary people that they were promised the best of all existing worlds? How did political propaganda become part of everyday life in the years after 1948? What did the domestic agitation mean and what was its purpose? What was the role of the communist "new talk" in persuasion, small daily deals and individual advocacy? Among other things, Heléna Huhák's book, which is based on a wide range of source material, not only official documents, but also diaries and private documents, seeks answers to these questions. The author shows how agitators - also known as public educators - tried to manipulate and mobilize members of society in everyday situations, and what effect the agitation had on personal relationships and the use of language.
In the party literature, the public educators produced agitation maps consisting of "reaction blocks", searched for revealing objects in the apartments, and taught the "little citizens" self-criticism, party-like love and hate. In the stories of the tabloids, the "enemy" to be convinced could appear in apartment buildings, in public and around churches, but almost anywhere.
The author reveals in detail how the perception of reality changed as a result of the agitprop network, and how the world imagined in official documents was shaped not only by propaganda, but also by the experiences and interests of the popular educators, and even the "people educated". In these years, domestic agitation did not simply mean the income of homes, the private space could also become a place for asserting interests, complaining and bargaining.

HELÉNA HUHÁK is a historian, a researcher at the Institute of History of the ELKH BTK. He is the co-editor of the volumes Kismama with a yellow star (2015) and Lágerutázás (2017). His main field of research is the history of 20th century society and everyday life.