Zsolt Akos Pall was born in a small town in the Hungarian speaking part of Romania. For ordinary people, life in Romania in the 1980s was very hard and it could be even worse if you were a part of the Hungarian Szekler minority since the Communist government persecuted the Hungarian minority. They even made them change their Hungarian names into Romanian. Zsolt's brother was renamed Istvan to Stefan. However, Zsolt was baptised Zsolt, since there was no Romanian equivalent to it.Zsolt describes the shortages, his schooling and many other stories of life in Romania during this period.We end the episode with Zsolt’s plans to escape to Sweden. Don’t miss Part 2!Cold War history is disappearing; however, a simple monthly donation will keep this podcast on the air. You’ll get a sought after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show.I am delighted to welcome Zsolt Akos Pall to our Cold War conversation…There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode230/If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations on Facebook.0:00 Introduction and early life in Romania2:36 Life under communism and experience of the Hungarian minority in Romania15:56 Impact of shortages on daily life and industry18:47 School life, propaganda, and societal structure under the regime27:02 Cold War hobbies: Young pioneer experience and photography32:59 Brother's journey out of Romania and Western influences38:35 Zsolt's escape attempt and first love41:12 Life goals in Hungary, brother's journey to Sweden, and pivotal decision44:27 Closing remarks, acknowledgments, and sponsor mentionsTable of contents powered by PodcastAI✨

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPodFacebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversationsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices