In addition to the information revolution and the population explosion, longevity is one of the global social challenges which is now facing humanity in the twenty-first century. It is a serious issue in Hungary, where the proportion of the elderly (i.e. people over the age of 60) is constantly rising, much as it is in other advanced industrial societies. It is no exaggeration to claim that by the end of the twentieth century Hungary (too) will have become a society of retired senior citizens.  The present study connects the challenges faced by an aging society to another major social issue: housing. It searches for answers to the question how, as it began to face the problems caused by an aging society and the unsolved problem of housing, the Kádár government tried to meet massive demands for housing among the elderly. What needs did the government acknowledge as legitimate? What kinds of housing did it use in its attempts to address the problem? How did it communicate about the elderly to the public with regards to housing? These are the main research questions raised in this essay, the answers to which will hopefully also offer a more nuanced understanding of the self-image of the socialist society of the era.

Keywords: housing, ageing society, experimental homes, globalization, Hungary

This publication has been financially supported by the MTA–SZTE–ELTE History of Globalization Research Group (project number: 0322107).