Populism in East-Central Europe: A Revolt against Western Liberalism?

The chapter, first, discusses the broader backlash against the 'liberal consensus' in the region and asks the question of how solid and well-embedded the liberal consensus was in the first place (cf. Bucholc 2020). Second, the chapter will link the contestation of the 'liberal consensus' with populist forces and the issue of anti-pluralism. In distinctive ways populists question the hegemony of liberalism as a blue-print for transformation. In the most radical cases, this involves propositions for 'monistic' solutions, a hegemony of the populist party and the denial of meaningful opposition. It is argued that such stark anti-pluralism is not visible in every East-Central European society, as will also become evident in the two cases discussed. Third, the chapter analyzes two less frequently discussed cases of populist parties in East-Central Europe, related to the cases of Czechia (ANO and Dawn of Direct Democracy) and Romania (PSD, PD).