Transcript Political socialization and political culture in Hungary
New Political Culture in the Making: Central and Eastern Europe in Transition
Erasmus Link to Norway visit to the University of Bergen 11 May 2004 István Tarrósy, M.Sc.
part-time lecturer in Political Science, UP managing director of Europe House
Structure of the presentation
1.) Political culture: the foundation stones a general overview of the terms and their relations setting the scene - political culture - political socialisation 2.) some features of political culture in CEECs 3.) a more specific investigation of Hungarian specialities political traditions in particular: - heritage of the Communist past - present-day situation: changes in political socialisation 4.) Is there a distinct European political culture?
Political culture: The foundation stones
• Almond (1989): "something like a notion of political culture has been around as long as men have spoken and written about politics." • C 5th B.C. – Herodotus: comparing different characteristics of nations • 1950s – early behaviourists: focus on human behaviour and attitude • The term ‘political culture’ Almond, Verba, Pye - Almond-Verba: 1. the chain between the individual and the institutions; 2. the group of orientations reflecting the attitudes of the individual
The foundation stones 2
3. 3 types of political orientations: parochial, subject, participant - Pye: the complex of attitudes and practices resembling the historical evolution of society + psychological reactions based upon the investigation of developing countries
Present-day definitions
Körösényi (1998) - the subjective side of politics - can be approached from different angles: 1.
the collective cultural, behavioral and attitude-related patterns of a political 2.
individual community ; the complex of political knowledge, values, feelings and symbols the collection/group of the attitudes, values and norms, together with the preferences, information and capabilities of the Coxall & Robins (1998) A political culture is the pattern of understandings, feelings and attitudes which dispose people towards behaving in a particular way politically. It is the collective expression of the political outlooks and values of the individuals who make up society. All societies possess a political culture.
Present-day definitions 2
McCormick (2003) The term political culture describes the norms, values and expectations of a society as they relate to politics and government. Political culture helps explain what leaders and citizens regard as acceptable and unacceptable regarding the character of government, and the relationship between government and people.
Political socialization
• Political culture is intertwined with the overall socialization of people.
• Negrine (1996): it is the process of social learning whereby individuals acquire knowledge, skills and dispositions that enable them to participate as more or less effectice members of groups and the society • Primary and secondary agencies (agents) • Direct – indirect • Unifying – divisive
Some features of political culture in CEECs
• CEECs – Western Europe under Soviet rule: CEECs were forces to give up or transform their political and cultural traditions
distorted new culture
there is still no consolidated rotation of the different governments • the problem of mutual trust distrust and suspicion are among the main features a lot to do to reach maturity!
• politics: a game played by men politics represented by men national
Political traditions in Hungary
Q: What influenced or determined Hungarian political traditions?
• The state ideology of St. Stephen constitutional way of thinking • International political orientation: always (stuck) between East and West • The question of national and state sovereignty – the relationship with the Habsburgs • Clerical/religious cleavage: Habsburgs and catholic aristocracy and protestant (Calvinist) noblemen
Political traditions in Hungary 2
150 years of political development • Weak democratic but strong parliamentary tradition since the revolution of 1848-49 • The Horthy Era between 1920 and 1944 • The Communist regime: not unified at all different periods, different characteristics 1948 – 1963: classical, totalitarian dictatorship 1960s, 1970s: authoritarian dictatorship, the heyday of the Kádár Era 1980s: more neutral and relaxed political dictatorship with a series of reforms
The heritage of the past
• State control everything put under strict control of the Communist Party • Family remained the only community that could stay independent more or less • Society became atomised • With the loosening of state control over the economy the second economic sphere gradually developed • In addition, double society came into existence • Political cynicism coupled with Hungarian pessimism
Problem areas: true or not?
• Lack of democratic political tradition (too long authoritarian tradition) • Weakness of the representation of interests (interest groups) and civil society • Intolerant social and political attitudes (e.g. ethnic prejudices) • Low turnout on elections and general political apathy • Lack of pragmatism • Inexperienced political elite
Political socialisation and its agencies
• The features of the cursed/damned socialist system disappearing slowly • The change itself was gradual and without any violence • The crisis of the family uncertainty (but great importance!) • The norms of the new apart • The appearance of the new agent socialization, i.e. network connection, e.g. Amway, Lions, Rotary society pulled friends of • Changes in the media of socialization
Central Europe (still) in Transition
As Ralf Dahrendorf (1990: 92-93) suggests: Three fundamental conditions of the road to freedom 1. the formal process of constitutional reform – taking at least six months ; 2. a general sense that things are moving up as a result of economic reform – unlikely to spread before six years have passed; 3. the provision of the social foundations which transform the constitution and the economy into such institutions that can withstand the storms generated within and without – sixty years are barely enough to lay these foundations ( civil society )
What has happened so far?
Following Dahrendorf’s criteria: 1. Indeed, political change took approx. 6 months constitutional laws: 1989: Freedom of Association, Est. of the Constitutional Court, Electoral Law 1990: Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Press, Party Law, Law on Self Governments 2. Indeed, economic change massive sell-out took approx. 6 years not an easy task for citizens 3. Shall we wait another 60 years until the - drop in real wages made acceptance of market economy - it the beginning hesitation regarding privatization – only economic circumstances forced the government towards a change in civic attitudes will enable democracy to work properly? since the change of the regime?
How about civic attitudes in general? What happened to them
Transition (rock’n’) rolls on
• Political change (maybe) is not over yet: the Prime Minister has recently made proposals for: – Electing the President directly, by the citizens – Shrinking the number of MP’s • Economic change faces challenges by the time of joining the EU common market • Civic attitudes are neither better, nor worse than in other democratic countries
Back to Europe
: Hungary in the European Union
• Further transformation? How? In what way? • What will happen to Hungarian identity?
• How will Hungarian political culture get accustomed to a European political culture? And the other way round?
• Numerous other questions concerning the costs and benefits on both sides…
Is there any
European
culture?
political
• Jacques Thomassen (Twente): ”A distinct European political culture supposes a common political culture across the countries of Europe.” • But: most CEECs have a democratic history of not more than a decade • Pye pol.cult. is a historical-cultural heritage from the past CEECs need to work out a two faced (not Janus-faced!) pol.cult.
1.) common CEE pol.cult.
2.) new, Western-European-oriented attitudes
Henry Ford once said:
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”
References
• • • • • • • • • • • Almond, G. A. & Verba, S. (Eds). (1989). The Civic Culture Revisited. Newbury Park, California: SAGE Publications.
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Negrine, R. (1996). The Communication of Politics. London: SAGE.
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