Laszlo Borhi, *Survival Under Dictatorships: Life and Death in Nazi and Communist Regimes*. Budapest, Hungary: Central European University Press, 2024.

Send us Fan MailThis book--*Survival Under Dictatorships: Life and Death in Nazi and Communist Regimes*--presents a complex view of how people responded to government abuse of power during three horrific events in East-Central Europe's past.  These events unfolded over roughly a decade: first, the deportation and murder of Hungarian Jews in Nazi concentration camps; next, the brutal rule of the Arrow Cross in Budapest; and finally, the Stalinist terror that affected Hungary and its neighboring regions.  László Borhi examines survival to grasp how individuals interact with authority, aiming to understand how ordinary people dealt with the oppression and fear brought on by unchecked power.  Although the specific time and place were distinct, the Hungarian narratives offer us universal insights into the Holocaust, Nazism, and Stalinism. The author argues that the experiences of National Socialism and Stalinism are intertwined in many respects.  Both regimes sought to defend their visions of the future against social groups they considered threats, which they believed had to be eradicated for a flawless society. Moreover, the methods of National Socialism were carried over.  Even with Stalinism being imposed on them by an external force, some of the skills necessary for survival were learned from their previous horrific experiences.