Patterns of participation in the college movement: tendencies of political socialization of the youth in 1980s Hungary

University colleges of advanced studies were a significant, albeit rare, opportunity for student self-organization in the socialist period in Hungary. These institutions provided a unique opportunity for students aspiring to a career in various fields (studies in history, social sciences, economics, or law) to develop a critical viewpoint. To establish and maintain autonomous democratic practices and with different cultural activities (film clubs, exhibitions, workshops), colleges also contributed to building students’ political awareness. By the mid-1980s, the so-called college movement encompassed several institutions and activities, forming a cooperative, informal network for sharing the experience of community-building and claiming their place in the democratic civil movement before the system’s change. This paper elaborates on the primary patterns of activities undertaken by colleges to foster a politically conscious community, with a focus on the opportunities and challenges of political participation among young people.