Social Integration in 20th Century Europe: Evidences from Hungarian Family Development

The study investigated the trends of family changes in Western Europe and Hungary from the end of World War I to 1990. The examination focused on how Hungarian development related to the changes that took place in the Western part of the continent, and in which areas and in what periods divergence or convergence can be observed. The issues examined included nuptiality, family and household structures, changes in the relationship between spouses, the evolution of divorces, and the emergence of new family forms. On the basis of the above, three main periods in the 20th century Hungarian family development can be distinguished. In the first period, from the beginning to the middle of the century, Hungary converged to the societies of Western Europe. In the second period, approximately from the middle of the century to the mid-60s, the diminution of differences between Hungary and Western Europe halted on the whole, but the gap still did not begin to widen. In the third period, from the mid-60s to 1990, considering all aspects, Hungary took a course diverging from Western Europe.