Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1983 (11. évfolyam, 35-38. szám)

1983 / 35-36. szám

BOOKS (Continued)

of the Turks from Hungary. The series of defeats suffered by the Ottoman Turks were due to growing internal weakening of the empire. In fact, the Austrian envoy in Constantinople informed Vienna that “Turkey had become so enfeebled that a Habsburg army could march with ease to the Ottoman capital and, in the process, expel the Turks from Europe altogether.” However, the growing strength of Russia and its imperialist ambitions put Vienna on guard, facing a dilemma what historians called the Eastern Question. Vienna recognized three alternatives in response to the question: (a) join Russia in expelling the Ottomans and divide the Balkans between them; (b) do it alone; or (c) retain the status quo and keep Russia out of the Balkan Peninsula by an agreement with the Ottoman state. The latter was preferred, because it involved the least of investment and involvement. “Throughout the century,” says the author, “survival of the Habsburg state depended on a foreign policy that avoided unnecessary dangers. Such a foreign policy, however, sometimes missed opportunities. And the eighteenth century offered the only opportunity for the Habsburgs to resolve the Eastern Question largely on their terms.”

The author is assoc, prof, of history at Louisiana State U. Seroka, Jim and Maurice D. Simon eds. DEVELOPED SOCIALISM IN THE SOVIET BLOC; Political Theory and Political Reality. Westview Press, 5500 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301, 1982. x + 197 pages, tables, figures. $18.00 cloth. In the Westview Special Studies on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe series.

“Developed socialism” has become an accepted term signifying a new theoretical doctrine legitimizing internal change in Soviet-type socialist societies. It stands for pragmatism and flexibility, acknowledging the need for internal change with emphasis on citizen participation in policy formulation and implementation. The study has dual objectives: to acquaint the reader with the varied meanings and forms of developed socialism, and to illuminate the differences between doctrine and practice. It investigates the involvement of policy makers in the development and application of the doctrine, so as to give the reader a firmer basis on which to evaluate the present behavior of the Soviet Union and the East Central European socialist states. The first part of the study contains a series of essays deal ing with specific countries. The chapter on Hungary and Czechoslovakia: Rationalizing the Prevailing Policies was written by David W. Paul, a known scholar of Soviet and East Central European cultures (pages37-59). Hiscomparison of Hungarian and Czechoslovak perception and application of developed socialism clearly demonstrates versatility. He says that “in contrast to the political tension running through Czechoslovak society, the atmosphere in Hungary is one of controlled tolerance.” The Hungarian party believes that “the building of a developed socialist society entails, among other things, cooperation between party members and church-goers.” Thiscrosscultural comparison suggests that “developed socialism might look and feel quite different from one country to another.. .One is tempted to conclude that it is little more than a rationalization of prevailing policies.”

Seroka is assist, prof, at the Dept, of Political Science, Southern Illinois U.; and Simon is assist, prof, at the Dept, of Political Science, U. of North Carolina.

Szalai, Alexanderand Frank M. Andrews, eds. THE QUALITY OF LIFE: Comparative Studies. SAGE Publications, 275 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212, 1980. 289

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pages, graphs, tables. $25.00 cloth. SAGE Studies in International Sociology No. 20, sponsored by the International Sociological Association.

This volume contains 15 revised papers presented at the Ninth World Congress of Sociology, Uppsala, Sweden, in August 1978. A prologue on The Meaning of Comparative Research on the Quality of Life (QOL) is a contribution by Alexander Szalai, prof, of sociology at the Marx Károly U. of Economicsin Budapest. An epilogueon Comparative Studies of Life Quality: Comments on the Current State of the Art and Some Issues for Future Research, was written by Frank M. Andrews prof, of psychology and population planning, U. of Michigan. The first part of the volume offers a description of the results of seven completed or nearly completed QOL research projects. The second part consists of five proposals concerned with theoretical and methodological options for future projects. The third part describes three major projects aimed at developing large integrated systems for assessing QOL. Chapter 2 on Structural Variables in Crosscultural Research on QOL by Elemér Hankiss, program director of the Hungarian QOL Survey, HAS, is based on data derived from the QOL research projects conducted in Hungary and placed into a comparative framework. Need for the development of structural variables is expressed “not to establish rank orders or prestige orders between nations but to throw light, mutually, on the latent forces and principles governing the social production and social distribution of QOL values in various societies.” Hankiss further suggests the development of such second-hand variables as a social mobility index, a social integration index, a social climate index, a value of human life index.

Szó'nyi, Erzsébet. MUSICAL READING AND WRITING (A

zenei irás-olvasás módszertana l-lll, Zeneműkiadó', 1954) Vol. 1. Boosey & Hawkes, 200 Smith Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735, in cooperation with Corvina kiadó, 1974. 251 pages, notes. $12.00 cloth.

Szó'nyi, Erzsébet. MUSICAL READING AND WRITING Vol.

2. Boosey & Hawkes, 1978. 472 pages. $15.00 cloth.

Szó'nyi Erzsébet. MUSICAL READING AND WRITING. Final volume, advanced level. Editio Musica, Budapest. 1979.259 pages, notes, biblio. $17.00 cloth.

One of the outstanding contributions of Hungary to human kind is in the field of music. Hungarian folk motives found their way into the compositions of Brahms, Liszt, and others, while Bartók and Kodály based most of their works on folk music, revitalizing elements of Hungarian temper and social values overshadowed by the impact of 20th century industrialization and urbanization. Kodály realized how important it is to catch elements of the past, and experimented with folk music in education. He believed that “musical literacy” should equal literary literacy, because the sol-fa, allied with the musical reading and writing, demands active student participation in a group setting. Such participation results in a better understanding of the opus and of the culture which produced it. In societies where the desire to learn music is as strong as in Hungary, this method will bring about an improvement of musical reading and writing. These volumes set out to explain the methods and provide the material necessary for the teaching of music in the art curriculum of primary and secondary schools.

Trory, Ernie. HUNGARY 1919 and 1956; The Anatomy of Counter-Revolution. Crabtree Press, 4 Portland Avenue, Hove, Sussex, England, BN3 5NP, 1981. 88 pages, biblio. £1.40 (approx. $3.00) paper.

NO. 35-36, SPRING-SUMMER 1983 HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER