Description
Book SynopsisBrave New Hungary focuses on the rise of a brave new anti-liberal regime led by Viktor Orbán who made a decisive contribution to the transformation of a poorly managed liberal democracy to a well-organized authoritarian rule bordering on autocracy during the past decade. Emerging capitalism in post-1989 Hungary that once took pride in winning the Eastern European race for catching up with the West has evolved into a reclusive, statist, national-populist system reminding the observers of its communist and pre-communist predecessors. Going beyond the self-description of the Orbán regime that emphasizes its Christian-conservative and illiberal nature, the authors, leading experts of Hungarian politics, history, society, and economy, suggest new ways to comprehend the sharp decline of the rule of law in an EU member state. Their case studies cover crucial fields of the new authoritarian power, ranging from its historical roots and constitutional properties to media and social policies. The
Trade ReviewThis is a useful collection of articles on an important issue in contemporary European politics ----the question of what to do about the authoritarian.
* Slavonic & East European Review *
“Brave New Hungary is an extremely well informed and insightful volume about Hungary's drift towards authoritarianism, brilliantly put in context of European politics and challenges of the modern day.” -- Jan T. Gross, Princeton University
“This volume avoids the trap of defining contemporary Hungary through catchy epithets, one-dimensional descriptions, and monocausal interpretations. It puts the brave new regime of the country and its firebrand leader in a historical perspective which does not make them appear radically innovative, and nevertheless it allows us to see novel trends. The contributors explore a society whose fascist and communist past facilitates accommodation to a government which, according to changing conjunctures, rationalizes its policies as civic and authoritarian, paternalist and disciplinarian, pro-European and nationalist, modern and tradition-bound, and which poses not only as champion of tolerance but also as standard-bearer of religious chauvinism. They decipher symbols and discourses, they investigate techniques of socialization, and they try to situate Hungary in a regional and European context. Their chapters deepen our understanding of society, culture, and politics under a controversial regime much appreciated in radically conservative milieus in Europe and way beyond it.” -- Gábor T. Rittersporn, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
“Thirty years ago many believed that the future of Hungary and the other post-communist countries was to learn from the liberal West. Today’s danger is that a virulent populism learns from an anti-liberal Hungary. Brave New Hungary is a trenchant analysis of how Orbánization came about, how it operates, and how it might spread. This ‘realistic dystopia’ is a must-read for anyone concerned about threats to democracy.” -- David Stark, Columbia University
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Historicizing an Anti-Liberal Turn
János Mátyás Kovács and Balázs Trencsényi
Chapter 1: Reinventing Hungary with Revolutionary Fervor: The Declaration of National Cooperation as a Readers’ Guide to the Fundamental Law of 2011
Chapter 2: Totalitarianism without Perpetrators? Politics of History in the “System of National Cooperation”
Chapter 3: Civil Society in an Illiberal Democracy: Government-Friendly NGOs, “Foreign Agents,” and Uncivil Publics
Chapter 4: Beyond Electioneering: Minority Hungarians and the Vision of National Unification
Chapter 5: The Role of Religion in the Illiberal Hungarian Constitutional System
Chapter 6: The Right Hand Thinks: On the Sources of György Matolcsy’s Economic Vision
Chapter 7: Towards a “Work-Based Society”?
Chapter 8: The Fear of Population Replacement
Chapter 9: Votes, Ideology, and Self-Enrichment. The Campaign of Re-nationalization After 2010
Chapter 10: Viktor Orbán’s Propaganda State
Chapter 11: Ideology or Pragmatism? Interpreting Social Policy Change under the System of National Cooperation
Chapter 12: The Central European University in the Trenches
Chapter13: The Post-communist Mafia State As a Criminal State
Chapter 14: Democracy for Losers. Comment on Bálint Magyar
Chapter 15: Nothing But a Mafia State?
Chapter 17: Supply Side Revolution: The Consequences of the 2015 Polish elections
Chapter 18: Regime, Parties, and Patronage in Contemporary Romania
Conclusion: Hungary–Brave and New? Dissecting a Realistic Dystopia
