Thinkers and politicians from the Danube besides play an crucial function in discussions on the future of conservatism. any commentators even look to Hungary for the hope of saving and giving a speech to Western conservatism.
Australian student Simon P. Kennedy pointed out in the article Hungary and the Future of the Western Conservatism of July 27, 2023, that a country in the centre of Europe with 10 million souls, with a long and arrogant past dating back to the 10th century, “has rapidly become the center of intellectual conservatism in the West. This is partially due to the remarkable success of the radically conservative Fidesz government, led by Viktor Orbán, who has held power in Hungary since 2010".
According to Kennedy, 1 of Orbán’s chief advisors and 1 of the most influential “conservative revivals” in Hungary, Balázs Orbán (not related to the current Prime Minister), played an crucial function in this.
Head of the political cabinet of the Prime Minister, associate of the Hungarian Parliament and president of the Mathias Corvinus College in Budapest and president of the Advisory Council of the National civilian Service University (Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem), author of the survey The Hungarian Way of Strategy Balázs Orbán is to be more than a politician.
In an interview he gave to the magazine "Quadrant", he stresses the issue of the circumstances of Viktor Orbán's government in 2010, at the time of "the neoliberal economical policy and neoliberal approach to global governance, which was very unsuccessful" in economical terms in Hungary. Analyst points out that "post-communist governments with liberals have proved tragic to the country". Despite false narratives in media dominated by these environments on Conservatives, yet Fidesz' leader managed to come to power and replace the modified, originally Stalinist constitution of the transition period after communism, with a fresh basic law.
Two or even 3 government terms had to pass to convince conservatives in the West to Hungarian politics. The turning point was the migration crisis in Europe. Trump's message on liberal media later helped – that earlier-ever-serious media specified as the fresh York Times and the Washington Post became advocates for the left and now spread the word fake news. The accusations against Trump that he was a “pro-putin fascist” were to open his eyes to conservatives who changed their view of Hungarian politics. Since then, the squad in Budapest began building an alliance with Western Conservatives.
Balázs Orbán points out that the native variety of this ideology differs from the conservatism of another countries due to historical conditions. It is more permanent and focused on the endurance of the Hungarian people and national sovereignty. Hungary, as a country that has fought for hundreds of years for its survival, being in the mediate of Europe between the East and the West, wants to benefit from cooperation with all its neighbours. However, they will not let the imposition of control or attempts to submit to abroad powers.
Hungarians converted to Roman Catholicism and Western Christianity and political doctrine played an crucial function in building their state. That is why this country intends to defend the legacy of Christian civilization, hoping that its values can be reunited with European nations.
Geopolitical reasoning plays an crucial function in Hungarian conservatism. Balázs Orbán points out that "Hungary is like Australia – an island surrounded by completely different people". Therefore, they have always felt that their task is to "preservate what they have while offering a contribution to that around them". They're set for peaceful coexistence. But at a time erstwhile individual wants to control them in an unacceptable way, “they will immediately resist.”
They intend to definitely defend sovereignty, due to the fact that giving up on it means that the Hungarian people can vanish overnight. They are open to working with everyone; they do not want to choose between East and West. The maximum focus is on achieving national interest.
As Balázs Orbán admits, “The Hungarians are not inherently conservative, but they care about independency and sovereignty.” They support a government that is able to supply them with prosperity, protects Hungarian culture. "In a sense, success makes people conservative," the analyst points out.
There is simply a difference between Anglo-Saxon and Central European conservative thinking. It was not an ideology before, but, as Roger Scruton said, a reaction to liberalism and extremist ideas that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was based on the behaviour of everything worthwhile. In Hungary in the 19th century conservatives talked about protecting national interests, and liberals talked about beginning up to global ideas and global interests. This tradition remains to this day. Liberals in Hungary advocate globalisation and conservatives advocate nationalism. "The conflict between tradition and freedom in Hungary takes on the nature of the conflict between nationalism and globalisation. This is the fundamental difference between Anglo-Saxon and Hungarian conservatism," we read.
Hungarians do not see a large, socialist, authoritative enemy state unless it is managed by foreigners to harm the nation. The Conservatives there do not have a problem with expanding the function of the state and supporting socialist solutions.
They besides recognise that the state cannot be ‘world-neutral’, as the Liberals demand, due to the fact that the latter, taking over institutions, argue them to conservatives and the state ceases to be neutral. simply neutrality equals progressive ideology. This phenomenon is observed throughout the West.
The Hungarian government, speaking of "non-liberal democracy", "post-liberal democracy" or "Christian democracy" (it does not substance which word it will use), is in fact opposed to the way a state governed by "progressive" ideology operates. The word “Christian democracy” even indicates a difference between conservatives and classical liberals who were opposed to revolutionary thinking.
Balázs Orbán notes that classical liberals say that we must return to the first thought of a neutral liberal state. But this is not the solution. In his opinion, conservatives are to change the state to support conservative and Christian ideas and principles. However, specified a country, as it says, "if you take Christianity seriously as a political philosophy", cannot be totalitarian. The opposition cannot be destroyed from here. Progressives in turn presume that the opposition should be annihilated due to the fact that it is on the incorrect side of history. Christian reasoning is not like that.
The Hungarian theoretician has a imagination of building something like a Christian democracy that would be useful to any nation. Only on the basis of an alliance of specified democracies can cooperation be possible in the West. It would besides aid preserve Western leadership in the world. Today, Western countries have neither strong demography nor strong economy, energy resources and another natural materials. They keep an advantage in their military power, and are so very pro-war.
The Hungarian analyst believes that the West must not underestimate the full global order of the world, with its multilateral form of cooperation, structures, currencies, energy supply chains and globalisation that favours it. Hungary supports economical globalisation. On the 1 hand, they depend on European markets, but are besides open to the benefits of Asia. They are “sudden NATO members” who supply safety for them, they are “sudden European Union members” due to the fact that they give them access to the European market, but “they are opposed to a separation strategy”. They are besides opposed to the complete unification of the EU countries due to the fact that it would be a "suicide" for them.
They are in favour of the Union as a platform for economical cooperation, which can make many policies which, however, cannot interfere with national sovereignty. This was erstwhile expected to be the European community.
Balázs Orbán ensures that Hungary is simply a “safe space” for conservatives from around the planet and do not want to turn conservatism into an global ideology. They besides do not urge that everyone follow their path, due to the fact that they may neglect in any country. Nevertheless, they want as many abroad thinkers and conservative leaders as possible to arrive in Budapest, to make Hungary an global Conservative centre where you can debate and talk, and to make friends with people with akin views.
This is expected to be an chance for the European School of Continental Conservativeism (the emphasis on the greater function of the state, even etatism, which contradicts classical conservatism) with Anglo-Saxon, especially American.
The first conservative thinkers, politicians and movements in Hungary were not peculiarly curious in any kind of minimum state. Rather, they imagined them as an organic structure offering strong civilian protection, unlike the thought of the founding fathers of the United States. European continental conservatism is more cultural and social. From this point of view, the American "neokons" who focus exclusively on a minimum country, capitalism and abroad policy, are not conservatives due to the fact that their proposal is empty, says the Hungarian analyst.
Conservativeism as a political doctrine accentuates the issue of human imperfection, not believing in the anticipation of building perfect social structures, institutions, states, etc. reflection and learning from past mistakes so play specified an crucial role. Conservative thinkers mention to naturally, organically increasing intermediary organizations, defending families, traditions, property, good habits, common sense, best practices. Their way of reasoning is embedded in reality and reaches deeper principles. Without specified deeper content, this ideology, modified in 1 way or another, will simply not be conservatism, but another reality. Conservatives, however, may stress these or another issues under different circumstances, but they should always fight against the omnipotence of the state, the occupation placement of citizens, so that human freedom can flourish as “all” (not about self-will). Through this – the freedom of the full community directed at good, as the representatives of the Salamanca School discussed.
Agnieszka Stelmach
