Ancsel Éva: The dilemmas of freedom (Budapest, 1978)

1828—1978 PUBLISHED IN THE YEAR OF THE 150TH JUBILEE ÉVA ANCSEL THE DILEMMAS OF FREEDOM The rethinking of our history, one we ourselves had a part in shaping, means examining our consciences. This book is just such an examination, being an analy­sis of the experiences and, primarily, the dilemmas of the socialist revolution. A revolution gives rise to a higher level of freedom, but it also gives rise to new sources of conflict. It is the newly won freedom of the hitherto unexplored his­torical path that puts the loyalty, flexibil­ity and commitment of the revolution­aries to the test. The account of a con­temporary cannot avoid analysing the detours, failures, indeed, tragedies that occurred along that path, if for no other reason than to help those who follow. In writing up these experiences the author has chosen the essay form, seeking, to use Marx’s words, those raw, Rembrandt­­esque colours which most faithfully con­vey the storm and stress of the era. The greatest historical lesson of our century, the socialist revolution, calls for a con­sciousness that can face, and shoulder responsibility for, every difficulty and this was the thought guiding the author in the writing of this essay. AKADÉMIAI KIADÓ Publishing House of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences BUDAPEST

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