Orbanism
Defunct Orbanism or Orbánism is a conservative and nationalist political ideology attributed to Viktor Orbán, the right-wing Prime Minister of Hungary.
During the 2010 Hungarian election, vestiges of Orbanism emerged as Victor Orbán became increasingly challenged by the older liberal politicians, intellectuals, and the media elite who attempted to influence policymaking.
[1] He then shifted to a more populist direction and sought to build an ideology that is based on Hungarian reality, identity, and history.
[1] He has avowed contempt for “corruption, sex, and violence.”[2] A core component of Orbanism is its embrace and defense of Christian democracy and values.
In 2024, for instance, the Sovereignty Protection Authority, a new governmental body with sweeping investigative powers, started rooting out foreign influence in politics, academia, and the media.
An advisor to Fidesz explained the philosophy, stating that “positive discrimination promoting the representation of right values in the press is morally justified” as these are suppressed under socialism.
[9] The reference to history in Orbanism can be demonstrated in the way it upholds certain events in Hungarian society such as the Holy Crown or Horthy’s regime and also in the approach of the idea of nation as exclusive.
Orban’s policy has emphasized national sovereignty and consistently opposed external interference in Hungarian affairs.
[10] Orban’s vision includes the so-called “workfare” society, which is illiberal in nature and is patterned after the examples set by Russia, China, and Turkey.
De Gaulle held that “France cannot be France without greatness.” Orban also echoed this when he told US diplomats that “it’s not complicated – we are telling the people that we will restore the nation’s greatness.”[13] In contrast to de Gaulle’s ideology, Orbanism is seen as less coherent since it does not widen the margin of maneuver of the executive largely because of the Hungarian basic law, which frequently uses the two-thirds super majority rule.
