Hungary’s Viktor Orban wrote the illiberal playbook. These 5 books decode it.
Indian Express·2h ago·Fear
What Happened
Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, transformed from liberal scholarship recipient to Europe's leading authoritarian figure. He coined "illiberal democracy," a system holding elections while dismantling institutional checks. His governance involved constitutional rewrites, packed courts, and media control. Five recommended books analyze his playbook: Landvai's biography tracing his pivot from liberal to nationalist; Applebaum's study of his supporters; Krastev and Holmes's framework of distorted Western imitation; and Magyar's characterization of Fidesz as organized crime.
Key Entities
Viktor OrbanHungaryIlliberal democracyPaul LandvaiAnne ApplebaumIvan KrastevStephen HolmesBálint MagyarFideszGeorge Soros