The main promise of the regime changes were the economic and political freedom and better life of societies. Furthermore, the chain of events leading to the collapse often featured political methods and forms of participation (mass demonstrations, plebiscites, flashmobs etc.) that directly conveyed to the people what democratic political culture is supposed to be and how participation beyond mere participation in elections is fostered. This pillar is about a critical investigation and facing the promises of the transition on the political culture and system. It is to investigate what the new instruments in the transition (political campaigns, mass demonstrations, referenda) proposed in conjunction with the regime change and by comparison how these features of politics receded or were sometimes misused to enhance authoritarian tendencies. At the same time, the developments in Poland and Hungary, once the leaders in transition, raise the important question while these two countries took the most significant turn back.
Please find the detailed programme and the list of speakers in the attachment.
RSVP to Zselyke Tófalvi at tofalviz@ceu.edu