Post-Communist Mafia State: The Case of Hungary

by Bálint Magyar

In an article in 2001 the author analyzed the way Fidesz, the party on government for the first time then, was eliminating the institutional system of the rule of law. At that time, many readers doubted the legitimacy of the new approach, whose key categories were the 'organized over-world', the 'state employing mafia methods' and the 'adopted political family'. Critics considered these categories metaphors rather than elements of a coherent conceptual framework. Ten years later Fidesz won a two-third majority in Parliament at the 2010 the institutional obstacles of exerting power were thus largely removed. Just like the party, the state itself was placed under the control of a single individual, who since then has applied the techniques used within his party to enforce submission and obedience onto society as a whole. While in many post-communist systems a segment of the party and secret service became the elite in possession of not only political power but also of wealth, Fidesz, as a late-coming new political predator, was able to occupy this position through an aggressive change of elite. The actions of the post-communist mafia state model are led by the logic of power and wealth concentration in the hands of the clan. But while the classical mafia channeled wealth and economic players into its spheres of interest by means of direct coercion, the mafia state does the same by means of parliamentary legislation, legal prosecution, tax authority, police forces and secret service. The new conceptual framework is important and timely not only for Hungary, but also for other post-communist countries subjected to autocratic rules.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Economics, Political Science, Hungarian Literature

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Tonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an important description of how a democratic country can turn authoritarian by the abuse of absolute power. Hungary currently is the most corrupt and second poorest country in the EU. The government turns to mafia methods to ensure the political and economical survival of their adopted family, dismantling institutional gatekeepers in the process. In the centre, the don can be found, who is the prime minister, and he uses arbitrary legislation, and stooges to subdue the population and enforce his wishes. In case the people are used to free market economy and having democratic rights, they will be surprised when these rights no longer exist and their private property which they worked for can be taken away at will by the don and his network via the tools of authorities. After fascist and communist dictatorships, the current system in Hungary is just the next iteration of exploitative corruption that oppresses the population. Hungary is not the worst country that has become a mafia state, you can find examples to the East (e.g. Hungary's big brother and central asia) where unfortunately citizens' lives are no longer guaranteed and can be terminated at will as well. This book is a wake-up call that democracy, freedom, prosperity cannot be taken for granted ever.

[Nastya Andreeva · Rating 2 out of 5]

теоретически - ни о чем. рассуждения о том, что венгры принадлежат к «восточной культуре» (что бы это ни значило), а оттуда и все проблемы, вызывает, мягко говоря, очень много вопросов. но довольно много отдельных интересных кейсов (например, про отжатие денег крупного застройщика, концессия табачных ларьков, изъятие имущества в пятом районе будапешта, и т.д.). плюс, сам мадьяр был частью венгерской политики, поэтому иногда он приправляет всё очень интересными инсайтами (в духе «но когда я сам спросил этого министра об этом налоге…»). короче, я бы с гораздо большим удовольствием прочитала просто его политическую биографию с вкраплениями описаний общего политического контекста пост-коммунистической венгрии, а не какие-то скудные попытки в теоризацию этого всего.

[Matias Naess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting, deep analysis of how democracy fails and how modern autocracy functions to brass tacks. Many lessons, both in how Western European democracy failed to set roots in Hungary and the path forward, and in the importance of an editor.