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Why the Right Is Drawn to Hungary
Tablet ^ | 4/17/25 | Gadi Taub

Posted on 04/19/2025 11:19:26 AM PDT by EnderWiggin1970

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a high-profile meeting with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán, in Budapest. Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, has called Orbán his “comrade in this fight for the ideas of freedom,” and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is Orbán’s “Christian sister.” Last year, Donald Trump hosted the Hungarian leader three times at Mar-a-Lago. How did this one country in Europe become a beacon for right-wing ideas—and leaders—around the world?

Once upon a time, Hungary was the poster child of “regime change”—the peaceful transition from communism to democracy. The process was indeed peaceful. But was it really such a change? The transition was managed by the communist ancien régime, and its goal was to preserve power for its elite while pretending to strive for national consensus. The communists recast their image by manipulating the historical record, beginning with the uprising of 1956.

Everything important in Hungarian political life, it seems, goes back one way or another to that year, when the popular rebellion against the brutal dictatorship erected by the Stalinist boss of the Hungarian Communist Party, Mátyás Rákosi (born Rosenfeld), was ruthlessly suppressed by Soviet arms. The failed revolution would become ground zero for the competing narratives of the different political camps. Even Hungary’s transition to democracy in 1989 turned out to be about 1956.

(Excerpt) Read more at tabletmag.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; European Union; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: 1956; 1989; 1998; argentina; benjaminnetanyahu; bri; china; communistparty; democracy; fidesz; hcp; hungarians; hungary; javiermilei; libertarian; matyasrakosi; matyasrosenfeld; mdf; milei; netanyahu; orban; ottomanempire; ottomans; ottomanturks; populism; rosenfeld; staliists; stalinists; taub; treatyofpassarowitz; viktororban
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Tablet produces a lot of unusually thoughtful and deep articles by Jewish authors, and this one is no exception.
1 posted on 04/19/2025 11:19:26 AM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
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To: EnderWiggin1970
"The pendulum swung back to the nationalist side four years later in 1998. This time it was Viktor Orbán’s party, Fidesz, not the MDF, that led the coalition. But the shift was short-lived. After four years in power, Orbán’s right-wing coalition lost once more to the socialists and their liberal allies. But the reason for Orbán’s 2002 defeat, he came to realize, was not the rejection of his policies. Rather, it was the choke hold of former communists on so many extra-governmental centers of power that restricted his ability to govern, and, crucially, gave him constant negative press coverage. “Between 1998 and 2002 we were in government,” Orbán would later say, “but not in power.”"

Goodness, this is the European version of just what Trump experienced. Which means Orban might be farther along in understanding just what needs to be done to finally defeat the Deep State opposing them both.

2 posted on 04/19/2025 11:26:55 AM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
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To: EnderWiggin1970
Towards the end, "The rise of an anti-democratic form of transnational progressivism...."

Simple, when not swimming in constantly changing terms. Freedom versus "transnational, anti-democratic progrssivism."

The NDSAP and the international Communists ( " sweeping the world" from that Marxist perspective ) were not "right" versus "left" but power versus power.

Our Republic has attempted to preserve that balance between local and national, and pushed against the international forms of power. Here as in Israel, the transnational progressives want to dissolve our liberty under the same old "global" banner of power.

3 posted on 04/19/2025 11:31:50 AM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Mert Magyarország egy jobboldali keresztény ország.


4 posted on 04/19/2025 11:40:20 AM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

And the evil George Soros raises his ugly head here. When will that man shuffle off this mortal coil?


5 posted on 04/19/2025 11:45:50 AM PDT by Twotone ( What's the difference between a politician & a flying pig? The letter "F.")
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To: EnderWiggin1970
Rather, it was the choke hold of former communists on so many extra-governmental centers of power that restricted his ability to govern, and, crucially, gave him constant negative press coverage. “Between 1998 and 2002 we were in government,” Orbán would later say, “but not in power.”

The same can be said for Trump 45...in government, but not in power. Between Democrats and the deep state bureaucracy they had a chokehold on power. But the years of being out of government gave both Orban and Trump an opportunity to regroup and come up with a plan to defeat their opponents when they reentered office.

6 posted on 04/19/2025 11:47:51 AM PDT by AlaskaErik (There are three kinds of rats: Rats, Damned Rats, and DemocRats.)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Hungary has a large Jewish population. I stayed in the Jewish quarter in Budapest recently and it was crowded and busy.

Orban shares the distrust and dislike for Muslims that Israel has. They lived under Muslim rule for 150 years.

Muslim rule in Hungary was not completely extinguished until 1718, with the signing of the Treaty of Passarowitz. Transylvania and Western/Central Hungary, including Buda, were liberated earlier, primarily in 1686. By the Treaty of Carlowitz (1699), the Ottoman Empire relinquished most of the Kingdom of Hungary, but some border regions were still under Ottoman control until 1718.

Hungary remembers.


7 posted on 04/19/2025 12:21:15 PM PDT by tired&retired (Blessings )
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To: SkyDancer
Mert Magyarország egy jobboldali keresztény ország.

For that, I'll need my Hungarian phrasebook...


8 posted on 04/19/2025 12:31:54 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

‘My eel is full of hovercrafts....wait, hold on...”


9 posted on 04/19/2025 12:37:28 PM PDT by decal (They won't stop, so they'll have to be stopped)
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To: dfwgator
Mert anyai ágon magyar zsidó vagyok.

And no eels either :D

10 posted on 04/19/2025 12:40:16 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

It could be that most of the other nations of Europe are filled with Muslim pests, while Hungary has avoided the Quranic invasion, and so only has a Budapest.


11 posted on 04/19/2025 12:40:39 PM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

I see the parallels in the United States, and I wonder what will be post Trump 47.


12 posted on 04/19/2025 12:46:17 PM PDT by NavyShoe
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To: Twotone

Hopefully soon.


13 posted on 04/19/2025 12:49:18 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: EnderWiggin1970
I haven't read the article, just the blurb; however, I doubt that the FACTUAL history/WHAT Hungarians have ALWAYS wanted, re politics/leaders has even been hinted at.

The thing is, Hungary has been over run/conquered by many different outsiders for millennia. In more modern times they lived under subjugation by the Ottoman Turks, the Hapsburgs, the Nazis, and the Commies. What they have yearned for is self rule and FREEDOM! One of Petofi Sandor's ( that's Sandor [ Alexander] in English and Petofi was his LAST NAME, but that's how Hungarians do it it ) most iconic poems ends with the line:"HUNGARIANS NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES!". Sadly that has been the case for much more than 100 years after that was written.

Today, with Orban as their leader, the Hungarians live in a far more stable and free country than the Brits, the French, the Germans, and many others.

14 posted on 04/19/2025 12:55:01 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: tired&retired
Hungary has had a pretty large Jewish population for a very long time, except for the damned Nazi period, when many were rounded up and killed.

Before that happened, many fled and/or were helped to flee by the American film industry.

15 posted on 04/19/2025 1:01:27 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: tired&retired
The ONLY good thing that came out of the horrible Ottoman rule was PAPRIKA!

And yes, Hungarians do NOT forget and still HATE the damned Muslims!

16 posted on 04/19/2025 1:02:56 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: nopardons

Hungary never participated in the Holocaust, the Germans took over the country in 1944 and that’s when the Hungarian Jews were sent to the death camps.


17 posted on 04/19/2025 1:04:03 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: tired&retired

One of Gadi’s other articles dealt with Netanyahu’s battle with the Israeli version of the Deep State; this is a battle happening everywhere where rightwing/populist/anti-Deep State forces are challenging globalist rule.


18 posted on 04/19/2025 1:05:01 PM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
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To: dfwgator

Yes, I know, except for GEORGE SOROS...THE POS NAZI LOVER.


19 posted on 04/19/2025 1:05:22 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Bkmk


20 posted on 04/19/2025 1:14:57 PM PDT by sauropod (Make sure Satan has to climb over a lot of Scripture to get to you. John MacArthur Ne supra crepidam)
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