This chapter examines the current governments in the Czech Republic and Hungary and assesses how democratic they are. Changes in parties and leaders since 1989 are discussed, as well as how citizens feel about certain democratic values. Particular attention is paid to freedoms such as speech, the press, and elections. Additionally, corruption and scandal in each country are explored along with some more recent government policies. Ultimately, it is determined that while both countries are democracies, there are indications that some democratic backsliding is taking place. This is especially true in Hungary, where the ruling party Fidesz has been able to consolidate tremendous power.
TopThe Legacy Of Communism Today
Years of communist rule are still evident in Hungarian and Czech societies today. In looking at the cultural dimension theory developed by professor Geert Hofstede of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, it is apparent how behavior in Hungary and the Czech Republic has been shaped by the values instilled in society under communist rule.
According to this six-dimension scale, there are many similarities between the Hungarian and Czech cultures, many of which are likely the result of their communist legacies. For example, the dimension of indulgence represents how much people try to restrain their desires and impulses. Whether a country is indulgent or restrained largely depends upon how children are socialized. The scores of the Czech Republic and Hungary—29 and 31, respectively—indicate that they are both largely restrained societies. Restrained societies typically are more cynical and pessimistic, and less apt to seek gratification. People curtail their own behaviors because they view indulgence as somehow wrong. After so many years of only having the necessities and being told excessiveness was bad, it makes sense that the Czech and Hungarian people would be less indulgent than those who were socialized in democracies. For example, the United States scores 68 in this dimension, indicating it is a very indulgent society.
Another dimension where the Czech Republic and Hungary score similarly is uncertainty avoidance. The Czech Republic scores 74 and Hungary 82, indicating that both countries like to avoid uncertainty if possible. This means their societies have strict expected norms of behavior and are not usually accepting of behavior outside those parameters. This could help explain why both countries remain largely homogenous and are less willing to accept outsiders into their societies. It also means that Czechs and Hungarians feel more comfortable with rules, prefer things to be more structured, and are resistant to change. In contrast, the United States scores 46 in this dimension, indicating Americans are much more open to new ideas and ways of thinking. They do not require as much order and are not as emotionally expressive as higher scoring cultures.
The Czech Republic and Hungary are also not too far apart when examining the power distance dimension. This dimension examines how the less powerful members of society deal with the unequal distribution of power. Hungary scores lower than the Czech Republic on this dimension—46, as opposed to 57. This means that power in Hungary is more decentralized, and there is more resistance to control. The Czech Republic is a more hierarchical society where people accept that each person has a specific role. That falls more closely in line with how the system worked during communism.