Rolling stones: dissident intellectuals in Hungary (1977–1994)

András Bozóki, Agnes Simon*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

This article presents a model of rolling regime change that offers a new account of dissident intellectuals’ contribution to Hungary’s democratic transition. We analyse dissident intellectuals’ activities from the late 1970s, when they worked to undermine the Kádár regime, until the mid-1990s, when their political influence ended. Using descriptive statistical methods, we show that, rather than constituting an unchanging, monolithic group, the dissident intellectual movement changed periodically while its goal lived on. It was a combination of renewal, continuity, and adaptation to changing circumstances that made them so effective in shaping Hungary’s elite-led political and economic transitions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)352-378
Number of pages27
JournalEast European Politics
Volume37
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Dissident intellectuals
  • Hungary
  • elite change
  • network-building
  • regime change
  • roundtable negotiations

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