This book examines the crisis of democracy that has arisen in
Hungary since the election of the Fidesz government in 2010. After
moving swiftly to transform the Hungarian constitution, Fidesz
created a new political system which has led its critics to argue
that the era of democracy in Hungary is over. US Senator John
McCain has gone so far as to describe Hungary as an illiberal
democracy on a path toward fascism. The author argues that Fidesz
has sought to challenge the capitalist and democratic
transformation that shaped Hungary for 20 years after the fall of
communism by increasing the power of the state over crucial aspects
of the economy, society, and the political system. In so doing
Fidesz' actions resemble those undertaken by many authoritarian
states that have emerged since the end of the Second World War, all
aiming to build up a national capitalism and protect their
economies whilst undertaking nation-building. To make sense of this
the author draws upon two traditions of thought, world
systems-analysis, which situates Hungary in the context of its
incorporation in the modern capitalist world-system after the fall
of communism; and anarchist social thought which provides a unique
way of seeing the actions of states and political elites. In so
doing the book argues that the events unfolding in Hungary cannot
be explained on the basis of Hungarian exceptionalism but must be
situated in the broader political and economic context that has
shaped the development of Hungary since 1990. The form of
capitalism introduced in Hungary and across the region of East and
Central Europe has systematically undermined the strong state and
social security that had existed under communism, and when added to
the failure of the left and liberals in the region it has paved the
way for far-right and neo-fascist political movements to emerge
claiming the mantle of defenders of society from the market. This
represents a fundamental threat to the enlightenment traditions
that have shaped dominant modern political ideologies and raises
profound problems for both the EU and NATO.
General
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