Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban is vocal about his right-wing views, contributing to the democratic backsliding in European countries. // Photo courtesy of Foad Ashtari.
Following the victory of self-proclaimed populist Viktor Orban as Prime Minister of Hungary on Sunday, April 3, Carolyn Dudek, director of European studies and political science department chair gave a lecture to Hofstra students and faculty on the trend of democratic backsliding in Poland and Hungary in the Guthart Cultural Center Theater on Wednesday, April 6.
To provide context, Dudek explained where modern-day right-wing groups in the two countries originated. Created by the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union (EU) was formed in 1993 to further economic stability and political integration throughout the member nations. The euro currency was conceptualized in 1999 and began circulating by 2002, but in 2008, Europe was faced with the euro crisis. This created socioeconomic turmoil and drastically increased “Euroscepticism,” a political ideology that pushes for disengagement from the EU. More often than not, this political ideology coincides with those who have populist views, which Dudek defined as a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of “the people” and often juxtapose this group against “the elite.” According to Dudek, it is commonly paired with nativist and anti-global ideas as well.
Angali Mathura, a sophomore political science major, said that she learned a lot from the lecture. “I learned the most about the actual democratic backsliding that is going on in these countries because I really wasn’t well versed in European politics,” she said.
Kyle Putnam, a freshman business major, felt that he understood the current political atmosphere of Europe better than before the talk started. “There’s a lot going on right now in the world and I feel like [I] don’t have the full picture,” Putnam said. “Especially with what’s going on with Ukraine right now, what other European countries are dealing with [gives context].”
Students were quick to connect the current war in Ukraine with the increase of radical right-wing politicians and policies that Professor Dudek emphasized. Turprwet Kaur, a junior political science major, brought attention to the inactions of Hungary and Poland since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how that is reflective of their internal politics.
“I already knew about Hungary and how they didn’t want to put sanctions on Russia,” Kaur said. “I thought [Hungary and Poland] were helping Ukraine, but no, it’s fighting with Russia in some kind of way.”
What was left unclear to some was the progression of such political thoughts in other neighboring countries. “I know this is a case study about Poland and Hungary, but maybe [input about] some other countries, if they’re starting to follow illiberalism or if they’re not, what they’re doing to prevent it,” Putnam said. “I want to see if this trend continues [and] what the implications could be further down the line.”
Many scholars of European politics have their eyes on Hungary, more so since the incumbent for the prime minister’s seat continues to make his right-wing views increasingly more public. When talking about his sweeping victory on Hungary’s election night, Orban accredited the Fidesz, the current right-wing party in control of the Hungarian government, for winning against “the left [in Hungary], the international left all around, the Brussels bureaucrats, the Soros empire with all its money, the international mainstream media, and in the end, even the Ukrainian president,” in a speech delivered after he was reelected.
Dudek discussed this in her talk and commented on what this means for the future of the people of Hungary. “Orban is walking a fine line [between] thumbing his nose at the EU and buddying up to Russia,” she said. “But the Hungarian population has its limits. The problem becomes when the democratic backsliding becomes so bad that it doesn’t matter what the will of the people is.”