Is the Magic Lantern Still Shining? The Rise of Illiberal Democracy and the Contested Legacy of 1956 and 1989 in Poland and Hungary

In 1956 many died fighting for freedom and democracy, in 1989 their hopes were realized and state socialism collapsed, today they are ruled by politicians who champion “illiberal democracy,” practice populism, and question “Western values.” Is there a future for liberal democracy in the region?

2016 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Hungarian and Polish revolutions of 1956 that exposed the brutality of communist rule in Central Europe and triggered a chain of events that eventually led to the collapse of state socialism in 1989. Liberal democracy was triumphant, as free speech and free elections were instituted and an arduous process of building capitalism based on free markets commenced. Soon the Soviet Union was gone and the countries once firmly embedded in the Soviet orbit were on the path to joining the European Union.

The current governments in both Poland and Hungary have, however, denounced the many compromises that accompanied this triumph. They contend that the ideals of 1956 were not fully realized in the “revolutions” of 1989 and are being finally implemented only under their rule. They have also appropriated the term “illiberal democracy” to describe their vision of a Europe of resurgent nation states.

On 14 December 2016, UCL SSEES will hold a one-day conference to discuss the new challenge to liberal democracy in Poland and Hungary and the contested legacies of 1956 and 1989. Eminent scholars from Central Europe, the United States and across the United Kingdom will reflect on the legacies of revolts in Central Europe and the recent rise of populism in the region and the world.

The conference will consist of four panels, allowing for wide-ranging debate as well as plenty of time for informal discussions. Jan Kubik will open the event with a short introduction of the main themes and a comparative review of the rise of populism in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. In the second panel, featuring Anita Prazmowska and George Gomori, we will examine the events of 1956 and 1989 in Poland and Hungary, mixing academic and personal perspectives. The third panel is conceived as a debate between four prominent intellectuals/politicians from the region, two from Hungary (András Bozoki and Gėza Jeszenszky) and two from Poland (Paweł Kowal and Radosław Markowski). They represent the various viewpoints and will be asked to reflect on the roots and consequences of the present political situation in both countries. The concluding debate will feature two outstanding scholars with a distinguished record of analysis and reflection on the region: Timothy Garton Ash and R Daniel Kelemen. They will not only recapitulate the discussion in the earlier panels but also offer their own assessment of the political situation in the region, particularly in Poland and Hungary, in view of the trajectory initiated by the revolts of 1956.

Conference’s schedule:

9.00.9.15              –             Welcome and Conceptual Outline (Thomas Lorman)

9.15-10.00           –             Varieties of populism in Central Europe (Jan Kubik)

10-11.45               –             Poland and Hungary: the 1956 revolutions an their legacies (George Gomori and Anita Prazmowska, Chair Wendy Bracewell) 

11.45-13.00         –             Lunch

13.00-14.45         –             Are Hungary and Poland still (liberal) democracies? (András Bozóki, Géza Jeszenszky, Paweł Kowal, Radoslaw Markowski, Chair Anne White) 

14.45-15.15         –             Coffee Break

15.15-17.00         –             What to make out of all of this? (Timothy Garton Ash,  R. Daniel Kelemen, Chair Jan Kubik)

17.15-19.00         –             Wine Reception (UCL SSEES)

Main questions:

At its broadest level, the conference will attempt to answer three questions: Why are we talking about the populist threat in Hungary and Poland? What is the nature of this threat? What is illiberal democracy (with specific reference to Hungary and Poland)?

We will also try to reflect also on the historical origins of populism, particularly its right-wing varieties, and its apparent staying power in the political cultures of the region. In doing so, we will attempt to outline the possible origins and applications of “illiberal democracy” as a concept in the above countries, and also explore whether references to illiberal democracy are underpinned by a shared political ideology—if indeed they refer to an ideology at all.

Further areas for exploration will include the question of whether populist rulers are embracing so-called “illiberalism” as an alternative to what they consider to be the “Western” malaise. Many commentators have suggested that the global financial crash, rising levels of inequality through globalization, and the EU sovereign debt crisis, have undermined the credibility of the so-called “Western” model and, by extension, eroded support for liberal democracy and the welfare state. But is it true that liberal ideas are on the back foot in Hungary and Poland? Are these countries truly turning away from the West and searching for alternative political models? On another level, participants will consider the degree to which “illiberalism” is a result of the weakness of pro-liberal post-communist civil society. Is civil society under the threat of state colonization? Are “illiberal” forms of civil society on the increase? To what degree are the countries in question succumbing to ideological divisions through the growing popularity of populist and radical-right parties?

An additional set of questions relate to the broader international level, and considerations of whether “illiberalism” is an imitative drive towards a Russian-style “Putinism” based on managed democracy and oligarchic state capitalism. To what extent might such models be emulated by other leaders with authoritarian ambitions? Furthermore, do phenomena such as the rise of populist parties on the European continent, the UK vote for “Brexit”, and the election of Donald Trump in the US suggest the global rejection of liberal ideas? Are these examples really part of the same unified “illiberal wave”?

By providing answers to these and other related questions, the conference will aim to improve our understanding of the rise of right-wing populism and the depth of the illiberal challenge to democracy. It will explore some of the possible short- and medium-term ramifications of illiberalism for both post-communist and liberal democracies in the European region. In the final analysis, the conference will consider the significance of “illiberal” democracy’s emergence on the global stage and assess its potential impact on Europe and the integrity of the European Union.

Please note there will be a £5.00 registration fee. Tickets can be purchased here.