Description
Book SynopsisThe transition from communist dictatorship to multi-party democracy has proved a long and painful process for the countries of Eastern Europe, and has met with varying degrees of success. In Hungary, the radical opposition was uniquely successful in fighting off attempts by the old-guard communist elite to hijack reform programmes, by forcing free elections and creating a multi-party system. This volume focuses on the Hungarian experience, analysing in detail the process of transition from dictatorship to pluralist democracy. Some of Hungary's leading political scientists examine issues such as the legitimation crisis of communist rule, resulting struggles within the ruling elite and the forces behind transition. Constitutional reform, party formation and voting behaviour at the first free elections are also taken into account. The concluding section places the Hungarian experience in comparative perspective, within the context of other Central and Western European states.
Table of ContentsPreface
George Schöpflin 1. The Decay of Communist Rule in Hungary
András Körösényi 2. Post-Communist Transition
András Bozóki 3. The Character of the Political Parties in Hungary in Autumn 1989
László Lengyel 4. 1989: The Negotiated Revolution in Hungary
László Bruszt 5. Political Transition and Constitutional Change in Hungary
András Bozóki 6. The Hungarian Parliamentary Elections, 1990
András Körösényi 7. Hungarian Transition from a Public Choice Perspective
László Urbán 8. From Communism to Democracy in Hungary
George Schöpflin 9. Revival of the Past or New Beginning? The Nature of Post-Communist Politics
András Körösényi 10. The Making of Political Fields in Post-Communist Transition (Dynamics of Class and Party in Hungarian Politics, 1989-90)
Tamás Kolosi, Ivan Szelényi, Szonja Szelényi and Bruce Western 11. The Hungarian Transition in a Comparative Perspective
András Bozóki Index
