The New Right in Central Europe I: Czechoslovakia

In: Political studies, Band 36, Heft 3, S. 449-462

Abstract

The new Right derives from at least two major intellectual sources, free market theory & social conservatism. The question of how far these are compatible is frequently raised. Here, the impact of new Right thinking in East Central Europe (specifically in Czechoslovakia, Poland, & Hungary) is explored to show that, in the conditions of real socialism, free market & social conservative ideas seem to arise naturally from the same root conceptions. Focusing on Czechoslovakia -- specifically with the thought of Patocka, Havel, & Bratinka, & with the conservative wing of the Charter movement -- it is argued that, while many writers would specifically reject labels like conservative or right-wing, the actual content of their thought is very close to that of the new Right in the Western hemisphere. In particular, the calls for a depoliticization of society, responsible accounting, & a lived historical identity both national & European, are indistinguishable from long-standing themes of social conservatism. HA