Democracy and Leadership in Nineteenth-Century Hungarian Utopian Literature

In most post-enlightenment Western utopias, it is often assumed that a democratic structure is an integral component of an ideal society. In East Central Europe, however, exceptional leaders and the hierarchical structuring of society are frequently of central importance even in nineteenth-century utopian narratives. The chapter examines the function and critique of democratic structures in Hungarian utopian literature in the nineteenth century, focusing on the works of György Bessenyei, Imre Madách, and Mór Jókai. These narratives are subjected to examination with respect to the role of leadership in the political structures they depict, with a particular focus on the contrast with the democratic standards established by the American and French revolutions, highlighting the differences between and parallels in Western and Eastern Central European utopianism.