A public debate in Budapest has revealed two opposing interpretations of Hungary’s economic model: one celebrates the expansion of the “middle class”, the other sees a situation of political dependency rather than real autonomy.

The attempt to cover up the truth about the Chernobyl disaster helped foster environmental awareness and demands for transparency in Czechoslovakia and became a catalyst for the 1989 revolution. Today, however, this plays almost no role in either successor state.

For several weeks, the contentious legacy of the so-called Beneš Decrees has once again surged to the forefront of political discourse in Slovakia and neighbouring Hungary. A legislative amendment proposed by the Fico government—which prohibits any questioning ofthe post-war expulsion of ethnic Hungarians and the confiscation of their property from legal challenge—has created a significant rift between these two EU allies. This resurgence of historical grievance comes at a sensitive political juncture, with the potential to become a volatile wildcard in Hungary’s parliamentary elections this April and Slovakia’s own polls next year.