Lexington Books
Pages: 304
Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜
978-1-66691-024-7 • Hardback • October 2023 • $125.00 • (£96.00)
978-1-66691-025-4 • eBook • October 2023 • $45.00 • (£35.00)
Mária Bordás is full professor at the Faculty of Public Governance and International Relations, at the University of Public Service, Ludovika, in Budapest, Hungary.
Chapter 1. Divergent Way of Democracy in Europe from the Ancient Times until the late 19th Century
Chapter 2. Challenges of Liberal Democracies in Europe in the 20th Century: Fascism and Communism
Chapter 3. Issues of Liberal Democracy after the World War II – Emergence of Populism
Chapter 4. Erosion of Communism since the mid-1980’s in Russia and Hungary
Chapter 5. Democratic Way or Illiberal Turn in the Post-Communist Europe Since 1990
Chapter 6. Emerging of Illiberal State in Russia: The Putin Regime Since 2000
Chapter 7. Fall of Liberal Democracy in Hungary – Replaced by a Full-Born Illiberal State
“Chances for Democracy in Europe: The New Wave of Illiberalism in Post-Communist Countries rightly argues that illiberalism necessarily emerges in post-Communist European countries without democratic tradions and political culture. Hence, the question remains are there indeed chances of democracy in Europe?”
— Gábor Halmai, European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, in Florence, Italy
"Chances for Democracy in Europe: The New Wave of Illiberalism in Post-Communist Countries by Mária Bordás is an exciting attempt to explain the concept of illiberal democracy and its manifestations in certain post-communist European countries. While exploring why a different interpretation of liberal democracy and the rule of law has evolved in Central and Eastern Europe, the author also points out the differences between Putin’s illiberal Russia and, especially, Hungary, focusing mostly on their perspectives. For Russia, the outcome of the war will obviously be the key factor in this, while in the case of illiberal Hungary, the interesting question is what influence the European Union can wield in the short term through its recent financial sanctions and diplomatic isolation."
— István Balzás, Professor of Law, University of Debrecen, Senior Research Fellow, Institut for Legal Studies, Centre for Social Sciences, Budapest
“Professor Bordás takes the reader on a great journey, during which we can get to know Central and Eastern Europe and its history in detail. The book is a detailed political and historical map that reveals the connections between the processes taking place in the region. The rich data content and the readable style ensure the experience of reading and acquiring knowledge even for readers who are less familiar with the subject. The book Chances of Democracy in Europe - New Wave of Illiberalism in the post-communist Countries is an outstanding example of the application of the comparative method.”
— István Temesi, University of Public Service Ludovika, Faculty of Public Governance, and International Relations, Department of Public Administration, Budapest, Hungary