From Competition to Polarization in Central Europe: How Populists Change Party Systems and the European Union

2019/09/26 by Milada Anna Vachudová, Milada Anna Vachudova · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Eastern European Communism and Reforms #European Union Policy and Governance #Populism, Right-Wing Movements

paper · doi:10.1086/705704

openalex publication_date 2019/09/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

Political competition in some member states of the European Union has shifted to issues of identity as populist parties take positions defending “the people.” This symposium contribution sketches how polarization goes hand in hand with democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland, how a somewhat different dynamic is playing out in the Czech Republic, and how ruling populists in all three states treat the European Union and Russia. It concludes by considering the consequences of this populist and illiberal turn for the European Union’s power and for democratization in the Western Balkans.

Citations

• Trojan Horses in EU Foreign Policy
• Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy: Common Patterns, Dynamics, and Pernicious Consequences for Democratic Polities
• Politicising embedded neoliberalism: continuity and change in Hungary’s development model

Cited by

• How Populists Rule: The Consequences for Democratic Governance
• Antidote to Backsliding: Ethnic Politics and Democratic Resilience

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