Chances for Democracy in Europe: The New Wave of Illiberalism in Post-Communist Countries

Chances for Democracy in Europe: The New Wave of Illiberalism in Post-Communist Countries explores the rise of illiberal democracy in post-communist countries, including Hungary, and the challenges faced by the EU in enforcing democratic principles.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, it would have been unfathomable to predict that just a decade later, the Prime Minister of Hungary would openly label his political and government system as an illiberal democracy. Chances for Democracy in Europe: The New Wave of Illiberalism in Post-Communist Countries delves into the potential scenarios of constructing illiberal democracies, as observed in Putin's Russia and subsequently spreading throughout post-Communist Europe. This book will showcase how a fully-fledged illiberal democracy has emerged in Hungary since 2010, during the last four Orbán governments, and the striking similarities it shares with the Russian illiberal state. It will also examine whether the Treaty of Maastricht, which established democratic principles within the European Union, possesses the necessary political and legal mechanisms to enforce them when member states fail to uphold them. While the EU encountered challenges in this regard with Hungary, it appears to have achieved some success in Poland and Slovenia. The author delves into the reasons why developed Western European countries with long-standing democratic traditions and values have remained steadfast liberal democracies, while exploring the challenges faced by countries without a robust history of democratic values.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666910247