Government and Politics in Hungary by András s> Körösényi Alan Renwick (review)

Abstract

REVIEWS 579 Ukraine in I988 at the age of forty-fouras Major General and commander of the I7th Air Army that Morozov began rediscoveringhis Ukrainian identity, which until discovering his father'sbirth certificate- he had thought to be a mixed Russian-Ukrainianone. At this time, of course, the issues of ethnic tensions, native languages, and cultural rights were very much in the air. The conformism deeply rooted in Soviet militaryculture,however, led most senior Soviet militarycommanders in Ukraine to look with suspicion at the separatist movement. When the unsuccessful August putsch in i99i resulted in the collapse of central authority, Morozov became the only Soviet general in Ukraine who fully endorsed the politicians' idea of creating a Ukrainian armed forces. In late August,he was made independent Ukraine'sfirstministerof defence. The Ukrainian armed forces were established not parallel to the Soviet Army in Ukraine (aswas the case in the Balticrepublics)but by way of taking over the Soviet militaryformationson Ukrainianterritory.Thus, even before his staff was completely organized, Morozov found himself in charge of Europe's second-largest army and the world's third-largestnuclear arsenal. He was successfulin the difficulttasks of reducing the military at a time of economic crisisand assuringthe loyaltyof a multinationalarmyof which only I5 per cent eventuallyrefusedto swearallegiance to Ukraine. Also, Morozov was instrumental in normalizing a security relationship with Russia, establishing military cooperation with NATO, and starting Ukraine's nuclear disarmament. This book, adorned with a number of interesting and informativephotographsfrom the author'sarchives,ends a bit abruptlyin early 1992. Morozov does not carryhis narrativeto October I993 when he resignedin protestover President Leonid Kravchuk's capitulation to Russian demands for control over the Black Sea Fleet. One reason may be that Morozov remainsactive in politics and has in the meantime held diplomatic appointments as deputy head of the Ukrainianmissionto NATO and ambassadorto Iran. This fine book will be of great interest to historians, political scientists, military specialists, and the general reader curious about the peaceful disintegration of the once mighty Soviet Army and the military aspects of post-communistnation-building. Department ofGermanic & Russian Studies and SERHY YEKELCHYK Department ofHistory University of Victoria, Canada K6rosenyi, Andras. Government and Politicsin Hungay. Translated by Alan Renwick. CentralEuropeanUniversityPressand Osiris,Budapest, I999. xxi + 330 pp. Tables. Figures. Notes. Appendices. Bibliography.Index. o38.oo. OVER a decade since Hungary's first free elections the country's political evolution seems to have been one of successful transition from socialist dictatorshipto liberal,parliamentarydemocracy. Freeelections have resulted in three changes of government; in I990, I994 and I998. Governments that 580 SEER, 8o, 3, 2002 have been either broadly identifiableas of the post-social democratic left and the Christian democratic right have held sway. Furthermore, successive governments have been held in check by a constitutional court, which has been rarely shy of assertingits authority. Behind the appearance of success, however, are some very real problems. Both of the right-wing governments that held power in the I99OS have sought to control the media, while all politicalpartieshave been miredin allegationsof corruption.The acute social crisisthat grippedthe countryin the wakeof the restructuringof the economy and the polarizationthat has resultedhave contributeda markedlack of faith in Hungary's not-so-new political order. By the end of 200 I opinion poll evidence suggested a marked lack of faith among the population in the country'sdemocracy. Research in political science has sought to fit the Hungarian experience of thepastdecade intotheoreticalmodelsinspiredbytransitionanddemocratization theory. In attempting to achieve this fit many of the specifics of the country's experience have been lost. Much political science has proved incapable of explaining the paradoxical nature of Hungary's political transition,namely that functioning liberal democratic institutionshave been created in a social climate where those institutions have failed to generate much positive supportfrom the broad mass of the population. While Andras Korosenyi in this book does not provide such an explanation himself, he at least begins to explore the actual functioning of Hungary's institutionsover the course of the past decade. Korosenyihasprovideduswith a usefulbut descriptivesurveyof Hungary's political institutions. He begins the book by examining the historical background to contemporary Hungarian politics, and then moves on to consider the parties that have emerged and the political...