By 1989 it was obvious that the majority of Hungary's population wanted fundamental political, economic, and social changes. The situation resembled what prevailed in 1956, when massive Soviet aggression suppressed a newborn Hungarian democracy. This time it was totally up to the Hungarians. Essays by leading Hungarian and Western scholars expose the political, economic, moral, legal, judicial, and cultural components of the peaceful transition that over a ten-year period led to democracy in Hungary.