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HBC has very limited information on historican Hungarian school trends and schoolwear. Here we are not only dealing with chronological eras, but very substantial political regimes that involved very different social outlooks. So it praobbly makesmore sence in using the political regimes rathan a strict chronological division. We have some limited information on schools during the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy (1867-1918). We notice some boys wearing military-styled school uniforms. We do not know how common they were. Hungary achieved its independence in the aftermath of World War I and the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1918). Our information is limited on schoolwear in independent Hungary. We do not think children wore uniforms to school. Major changes were made in Hungarian schools after the Communist takeover in 1945. We note that merit was not always what determined if secondary school graduates went to university under the communist regime. Children whose fathers were aristocrats or businessmen before the communist take over were labeled as a "class alien" and thus excluded from university. [Grove] Short pants were commom through the 1950s. They declined in popularity during the 1960s, but some boys still wore them. Some boys in the 1960s were wearing smocks, byt HBC is not sure how common this was. The Communists introduced a military-styled uniform for the boys and and a dress and pinafore for the girls. Both were based on Soviet styles. After the Hungarian Revolution (1956), the Soviets more closely controlled Hungarian affairs. And sure way of demonstrating your political reliability was to copy Soviet approaches. The uniforms were done away with with the collapse of the Soviet empire. The same occurred in other former Eastern European satellite countries.
We have some limited information on schools during the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy (1867-1918). We notice some boys wearing military-styled school uniforms. We do not know how common they were.
Hungary achieved its independence in the aftermath of World War I and the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1918). As Hungary had a degree of autonomy within the Hapsburg empire, the transition was niot as significant as might have been expected. There were complications in building a new school system. There were language issues. And we are not sure about staff issues. We do not know to what extent non-Hungarian (Germans and Jews) teachers retained their jobs. Our information is limited on schoolwear at independent Hungary after the War. Unlike some countries, we have been able to find relatively few photographs for our archive. We do not think children wore uniforms to school. We see boys mostly wearing short pants in primary school. There was some variation sasonally and regionally. City schools were more formal than rural schools. Clothing in secondary schools were more varied. Boys commonly wore suits. Attendance was limited with few working-class children or ethnic minorities (except Germans and Jews) attending. The principal minority was Slovakian, although shifts in the border with Romania brought in substantial numbers of Romanians. This affected schoolwear as the Slovak population was more rural and still wore traditional clothes to an extent. We see a range of suits. Younger boys might wear short pants or knicker suits with long stockings and knee socks. Older boys wore long pants.
Major changes were made in Hungarian schools after the Communist takeover (1945). As in other parts of the Soviet Empire, substantial resources were devoted to education. Educational opportunities were expanded. For the first time peasant and working-class families had access to educatiin beyond the primary level. The basic system continued unchanged, only exapanded. Younger children attended primary schools which lasted until about age 14 years. Teenagers attended secondary schools. With the advent of Communism, virtually all children at lest began secondary school. A variety of secondary schools existed. There were grammar schools (academically selective secondary schools), specialised secondary schools, and vocational schools. Academic standards and discipline standards were high. There was none of the progesssive approaches becoming popular in the west of lowering standards or tolerating bad behavior. [Clark] Schools were also set up for adults who before the advent if Communism had not been able to atend secondary schools. We note that merit was not always what determined if secondary school graduates went to university under the communist regime. Children whose fathers were aristocrats or businessmen before the communist take over were labeled as a "class alien" and thus excluded from university. [Grove] Short pants were commom through the 1950s. They declined in popularity during the 1960s, but some boys still wore them. Some boys in the 1960s were wearing smocks, but HBC is not sure how common this was. The Communists introduced a military-styled uniform for the boys and and a dress and pinafore for the girls. Both were based on Soviet styles. After the Hungarian Revolution (1956), the Soviets more closely controlled Hungarian affairs. And sure way of demonstrating your political reliability was to copy Soviet approaches.
The uniforms were done away with with the collapse of the Soviet empire. The same occurred in other former Eastern European satellite countries.
Clark, Zsuzsanna. "Oppressive and grey? No, growing up under communism was the happiest time of my life," Mail Online (October 17, 2009).
Grove, Andrew S. "Stigmatizing Business," The Washington Post, July 17, 2002, p.23.
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[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
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