ABSTRACT
'Socialist paradigm' therefore, is used only in the limited sense of the villagers' perception and understanding of socialism. The socialist paradigm was introduced into the life of the villagers of Pecsely in the post-War years, mainly through the reformed local institutions and the new personnel recruited as official and executive members. When it made its first appearance in the 1950s the socialist paradigm consisted largely of concepts unfamiliar to the majority in the rural community, and of rough-and-ready stereotypes of an exceedingly abstract kind. The values propagated, such as 'socialist man' as well as the goals set - 'building socialism,' achieving the norm,' 'towards a country of iron and steel' - were of limited relevance to the villagers' everyday existence. The way towards the integration of elements of the socialist paradigm was far from being a smooth process and even today it is not complete, mainly as a result of the negative burdens carried over from the 1950s.
