Right-Wing Populism in Eastern Europe: Social Capital & Jobbik

Rydgren: Uncivicness and Populist Voting

Neither mass society nor social capital theories explain support for radical right-wing populism in Eastern Europe (EE). Despite EE's historically weaker social capital compared to Western Europe, empirical results don't link rising populism to weak civil society.

Factors Fostering Extreme Right Movements

1. Diminished roles of family, community, and traditional organizations lead to detachment.
2. Decline of the pluralist society.
3. Social isolation leads to joining authoritarian movements offering 'quasi-communities'.

Social isolation, more common in urban settings, explains support for the radical right.

Varga: Hungary's Far-Right Jobbik

This reading examines post-communist far-right parties, focusing on Jobbik's success. Jobbik mobilizes anti-Roma sentiment and addresses economic inequality from an ethno-nationalist perspective. This allowed Jobbik to criticize Fidesz and gain electoral success despite the 2009 ban of the Hungarian Guard, doubling their support to 400-800 thousand. The Hungarian Guard, a paramilitary organization, was crucial to Jobbik's 2009 electoral success. By 2010, radical nationalist movements gained strength in Central Eastern Europe.