There is no secret that Hungary is one of the many countries in Europe where right wing populism have taken hold. Fidesz, the leading party, with Victor Orbán as party leader got a majority vote in 2010 and have not let up their power since. Populism, as disputed as the concept is, have certain core parts that most scholars can agree on. Amongst them is the constant division of social groups into “us” and “them”, or “the people” versus “the elite”. This thesis looks at this division through a discourse analysis of Orbán’s speeches between the years of 2014 and 2023. The purpose is to understand the creation of these identities in populist discourse in Hungary. This thesis asks the question what the consequences are for these identity creations and if the polarization produced by populist rhetoric have a negative impact on democracy. The blatant neglect of pluralism and inclusivity that populist rhetoric displays lead to people being locked out of “the general will” and as such their voices are not seen as important. Moreover, because of the moralistic basis on which subjects’ identities are created, people that does not fit into the populistic definition of “the people” are instead demonized. Something that also shows itself in policy implementation.

Please note: creative writing theses are permanently embargoed in OpenBU. No public access is forecasted for these. To request private access, please click on the lock icon and filled out the appropriate web form. / Oracle Smoke Machine is a collection of poems / 2999-01-01T00:00:00Z

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The process of going from relatively established democracies to not being classified as such in Hungary in Türkiye during the time of their leaders, Orban and Erdogan, in the executive branch of government is an interesting one. The research question “How have Erdogan and Orban´s parties been eroding democratic values with their policies since the leaders came into executive power in Türkiye and Hungary?” will work as the main guideline for the thesis. In addition, the purpose of researching the two states and leaders based on their governmental policies will give a clear understanding of how the thesis will be written.Using the strongmen theory as a theoretical framework will contribute to the understanding of how democracy has been eroded in the countries based on for example the strongman leadership style. The methodology being used will be two separate idea and ideology analyses and two separate case studies. That methodology will contribute to getting a deep and nuanced understanding of how the political leaders and their parties have eroded democracy.

yes / This analysis of British Ostpolitik focuses on Margaret Thatcher’s diplomacy, exploring her quietly pragmatic efforts to bring about a gradual transformation of Eastern Europe at the cost of supporting selected communist regimes. The analysis reveals how a market-oriented economic experiment in Budapest first sparked the prime minister’s interest in Hungary and inspired her foreign policy in Eastern Europe. It documents the British search for a socialist transition ‘model’, which led to unprecedented diplomatic overtures towards a small enemy state on the brink of bankruptcy. Based on extensive archival research in Budapest and London, as well as on the personal recollections of three senior British diplomats, this case study challenges some of the common assumptions of the historical literature about Thatcher’s chosen method of combating communism and Britain’s long-term strategy towards the Eastern bloc. / Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Politicians justify border walls by arguing that it would protect the nation from outside threats, such as immigration or terrorism. The literature on border walls has identified xenophobic nationalism's centrality in framing border walls as a security measure. Yet, alternative geographic visions of nationhood in Hungary, Georgia and Israel define the fenced perimeters in these countries as the lines that divide the nation and its territory. These cases illustrate the contradiction between the geography of security, marked by the border wall, and the geography of nationhood, which extends beyond the fenced boundary. These cases allow us to problematize the link between "security" and "nationalism" and their relationship with borders. Therefore, this dissertation is a study of the politics of reconciling distinct geopolitical visions of security and nationhood in the making of border walls. Justification of border walls requires the reframing of the national territory in line with the geography articulated by border security and away from the spatially expanded vision of nationhood. A successful reframing of the nation's geography is a matter of politicians' skills to craft a convincing geopolitical storyline in favor of the border wall that would combine security and nationalist arguments (Hungary). However, even the most skillful rhetoricians will find it hard to create such a discursive story if the hegemonic geography of nationhood has firmly fixed the meaning of the fenced line not as a border but as a dividing line across the nation's geo-body (Georgia). Where such hegemonic geography of nationhood is absent and the society disagrees over the meaning, shape and location of borders and territory, a security discourse in favor of the border wall would sway the public opinion towards that type of territorial conception of nationhood, which overlaps with the promise of protection (Israel). / Doctor of Philosophy / Politicians justify border walls by arguing that it would protect the nation from outside threats, such as immigration or terrorism. This study shows that the new border walls do not necessarily mean the rise of nationalism. Instead, the nationalism associated with border walls has sidelined and replaced other forms of nationalism that aim to keep the border open and expand the state's reach beyond the sovereign boundaries. In Hungary, Georgia and Israel, new border walls serve the purpose of security. Simultaneously, they separate the country from the areas beyond the fenced line but are considered part of the national territory. This study accounts for the political process that aims to reconcile these territorial contradictions between the quest for border security and the nationalist desire to maintain power beyond the border wall. The study has found that such a dual functioning of the borders has been possible in Hungary and Israel. In contrast, in Georgia, the fence remains a deeply negative symbol of the nation's territorial division.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Since 1989 the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have undergone an unprecedented transition from communism to democracy. Establishment of democratic control of armed forces is an inseparable part of the process of consolidation of democracy. The purpose of this thesis is to define those factors that influence democratization of civil-military relations in post-communist countries in the process of transition to democracy. My argument is that countries develop democratic control of armed forces in different ways and with different time boundaries, until the end state is achieved. The democratization of civil-military relations depends on capability of the country in transition to effectively establish (by which I mean to build and put into effect) institutions for democratic control of the military. In evaluating development of the democratization of civil-military relations the post-communist countries of Hungary and Bulgaria are studied in detail with particular attention to the process of establishment, development, and interrelation of institutional arrangements. In this aspect historical legacy, international context and path of transition can help or obstruct the process of development of institutions for democratic control of armed forces. / Lieutenant Colonel, Bulgarian Air Force

Text in German / In dieser Untersuchung werden Fragen zu der pastoralen Seelsorge der ungarischen Baptis-ten beantwortet. Die Pastoren werden in ihrer Ausbildung in Poimenik und Psychologie unterrichtet und tragen offiziell die Verantwortung für den Seelsorgedienst in ihrer Ge-meinde. Ausgangspunkte für die Untersuchung sind eine allgemeine Einführung, die theologische Grundlegung der Begriffe und ein historischer Überblick über die verschiedenen europäi-schen Seelsorgeverständnisse. Dabei werden die Einflüsse der modernen Wissenschaften, Psychologie, Psychotherapie und Pastoralpsychologie auf die Seelsorge ab dem 19. Jahr-hundert aufgezeigt und ihre Wirkungen auf das heutige Seelsorgeverständnis vorgestellt. Zunächst werden die Bestände jener Bibliotheken und Archive in Ungarn auf Publikatio-nen zu Seelsorge hin untersucht, zu denen baptistische Pastoren bzw. deren Lehrer typi-scherweise Zugang haben. Um Informationen zu den verschiedenen Seelsorgerichtungen zu bekommen, werden ferner Facharbeiten, Gemeindezeitschriften und Handreichungen herangezogen. Insbesondere wird die aus verschiedenen Sprachen ins Ungarische übersetz-te Seelsorgeliteratur vorgestellt. In der empirischen Untersuchung werden anhand der gewonnenen Informationen aus der Literaturstudie Pastoren interviewt und diese Ergebnisse mit ihren praktischen Konsequen-zen aufgezeichnet. / This study will answer questions about the pastoral care in Hungarian Baptist churches. In their education, pastors are taught in poimenics and psychology, and are thus officially responsible for the pastoral care in their churches. The starting point for this study will be a general introduction, then the theological explanation of the terms used, and finally a historic overview over the different European understandings of pastoral care. The influ-ences of the modern sciences psychology, psychotherapy and pastoral psychology since the 19th century on pastoral care will be shown as well as their impact on presentday under-standing of pastoral care. First, the holdings of those Hungarian libraries and archives will be screened for publica-tions about pastoral care to which Baptist pastors or their teachers primarily have access. To gain information about the different understandings of pastoral care, research papers, church magazines and handouts will be consulted. In particular, pastoral care literature will be presented which is translated into Hungarian from other languages. In the empirical study, pastors will be interviewed on the basis of information gained from the literature analysis. The practical consequences of these results will then be outlined. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology (Pastoral Therapy))

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