Mary Halasz

In theory, private enterprise did not exist under Soviet communism. But in practice, it thrived, often with the tacit approval of Party authorities. This was because the Soviet economy was hard-pressed to produce the heavy machinery and equipment required to modernize its industry, mechanize its farms, house its citizens, and defend its borders. And since this aspect of capitalism was tolerated, the public developed a desire for consumer goods, particularly clothing and gift items.

Mary Halasz was born in Czechoslovakia to Hungarian parents; as an infant, she moved to Roebling, New Jersey. In 1937, at age sixteen, she married Sandor (Sanyi) Laszota, a Hungarian teacher, and settled with him in Uzhhorod, a city in far eastern Czechoslovakia that was annexed by the Soviet Union after World War II. In 1949 her husband was jailed by the Soviets for fighting against...