Asymmetric Mass Mobilization and the Vincibility of Democracy in Hungary

Using an original dataset of partisan protest events in Hungary (n = 4836) spanning 1989 to 2011, we argue that left-liberal parties’ neglect in cultivating civil society during the post-communist period had deleterious downstream effects on Hungarian liberal democracy. First, it enabled the growth of an illiberal, right-wing civil society that facilitated Fidesz-KDNP’s 2010 landslide electoral victory. Second, it deprived the left-liberals of mobilization resources that could have been used to carry out contentious collective action to counter Fidesz-KDNP’s early maneuvers at democratic backsliding, in particular their constitutional overhaul. The data allow us to trace patterns in partisan protest over time and across cities, illustrating the dangers of asymmetric mass mobilization (AMM) during the prevention and containment periods.