Rebuilding the Hungarian right through conquering civil society: the Civic Circles Movement

Béla Greskovits

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

The article analyses the Civic Circles Movement that paved the way for Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party from the opposition to enduring political rule. It is demonstrated that through extending and connecting the right's grassroots networks and hierarchical organisations, reinventing its holidays and heroes, and mobilising followers for contention, the movement has transformed civil society. The article contributes to the recent literature on illiberal parties and leaders by showing that the civic activism of educated middle-class supporters may be as important for their rise and resilience in power as the votes of less educated groups within their constituency.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)247-266
Number of pages20
JournalEast European Politics
Volume36
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Apr 2020

Keywords

  • Christianity
  • Illiberalism
  • civil society
  • conservative intellectuals
  • nationalism

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Rebuilding the Hungarian right through conquering civil society: the Civic Circles Movement'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this