Cultural policy as a tool of democratic erosion: A comparative analysis of the populist electoral success in Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic

Abstract

In the past decades, the Central and Eastern European region has witnessed a significant surge in the rule of populists enacting changes that undermine the liberal democratic order. In Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic, a steep decline in democracy s cores in the last years correlated with the populist parties coming to power. In 2023, however, Hungary is considered an electoral autocracy; in Poland, autocratization stalled before democracy broke down; and the recent elections brought the Czech Republi c back towards a democratic direction. This dissertation aims to understand why such differing levels of democratic erosion occurred despite the similarities in the countries’ recent history. The comparative analysis of the process of democratic transition , the development of political systems, and the context of the electoral success of Fidesz in Hungary, PiS in Poland, and ANO 2011 in the Czech Republic motivates a further study of the country specific cultural, social, and historical factors. A hypothesi s is drawn that the cultural policies developed by the governments of Fidesz in Hungary and PiS in Poland provided narratives that justify the introduction of illiberal changes, have a mobilizing effect in terms of identification and electoral support, and curtail the freedom of expression by punishing voices of dissent in both countries. This dissertation emphasizes the need to consider the role of culture in the processes of democratic transition and consolidation and contributes to a more comprehensive e valuation of the mechanisms of democratic erosion.

Nas últimas décadas, a Europa Central e Oriental viu um aumento significativo no domínio de populistas que minam a democracia liberal. Na Hungria, Polónia e República Checa, a queda na democracia se correlacionou com os populistas no poder. Em 2023, a Hungria é considerada uma autocracia eleitoral, enquanto a Polónia v iu a autocratização estagnar antes de uma deterioração democrática, e as eleições recentes devolveram a República Checa à democracia. Esta dissertação busca entender as diferentes erosões democráticas, apesar de histórias semelhantes. A análise comparativa da transição democrática, sistemas políticos e o sucesso eleitoral do Fidesz na Hungria, PiS na Polónia e ANO 2011 na República Checa motiva um estudo dos fatores culturais, sociais e históricos específicos. A pesquisa apoia a ideia de que as característi cas checas tornaram o país resistente à viragem iliberal. Uma hipótese sugere que políticas culturais na Hungria e Polónia justificam mudanças iliberais, mobilizam apoio e restringem a liberdade de expressão ao punir dissidentes. Ambos governos atacaram o setor cultural, reconhecendo sua importância para a comunicação democrática. O estudo enfatiza a necessidade de considerar a cultura na transição democrática e contribui para a compreensão dos mecanismos de erosão democrática.