A no-holds-barred biography of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb�n, who has become a pivotal figure in European politics since 2010, this is the first English- language study of the erstwhile anti-communist rebel turned populist autocrat. Through a masterly and cynical manipulation of ethnic nationalism, generating fear of migrants and deep-rooted corruption, Orb�n has exploited successive electoral victories to build a closely knit and super-rich oligarchy. He holds unfettered power in Hungary and is regarded as the single most powerful leader within the European Union. Orb�n's ambitions are far-reaching. Hailed by governments and far-right politicians as a symbol of a new anti-Brussels nationalism, his ruthless crackdown on refugees, his open break with normative values and his undisguised admiration for Presidents Putin and Trump mean he poses a formidable challenge to Angela Merkel and the survival of liberal democracy in a divided Europe. Drawing on access to exclusive documents and numerous interviews, celebrated veteran journalist Paul Lendvai paints a compelling portrait of the most successful and, arguably, most dangerous politician in Hungarian history.

Orbán: Hungary's Strongman

Biographies & Memoirs

Lendvai, Paul

Historical

Oxford University Press

How has Hungary, a country once in the vanguard of political and economic reform under Communism, become a chilling example of the new threats confronting democracy in Central Europe? The return of Hungary's demons of the past--nationalism, ethnic hatred, deeply-rooted corruption and authoritarian tendencies--has engendered international concern. Since winning a two-thirds majority in parliament in the spring of 2010, the dynamic right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has embarked on a sweeping and ruthless concentration of power and has sought to reshape the state in his own image.A new constitution and a sweeping series of laws and decrees--radical changes in the judicial and electoral system and the dismantling of constitutional safeguards ensuring the autonomy of the executive branch and the freedom of the media--seem destined to ensure a long-term hegemony of the far right. Meanwhile a campaign of vituperative nationalist rhetoric and the granting of voting rights to 2.5 million ethnic Hungarians living in neighbouring countries are bound to increase tensions in this volatile corner of Europe.Lendvai offers readers an unsparing and dispassionate account, based on his intimate personal knowledge of Hungary's major political figures and its political culture, of the turbulent events since the collapse of the Communist regime which affect not only Hungary, but also the political and economic stability of the Danube basin.

Hungary: Between Democracy and Authoritarianism

History

Europe

Austria experienced remarkable economic and social growth in the years following World War II, especially considering the troubled nature of its politics. A small, land-locked country, Austria has emerged as the European Union's fourth richest state, yet it still wrestles with old decisions and demons. Merging personal observation with rich historical scholarship, Paul Lendvai, a renowned journalist and award-winning memoirist, tracks Austria's unique trajectory, from its origins to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire and beyond. Lendvai investigates whether Austrians have come to terms with Hitler`s Anschluss and the Waldheim affair and how they have met the challenge of Jorg Haider`s radical right-wing ascendancy. He identifies a positive moral toughness, internal cohesion, and social discipline within the Austrian people, especially evident during the years of occupation and subsequent crises, such as the Hungarian Revolution, the Prague Spring, and the Yugoslav wars. Launching a probing study of Austria's long quest for nationhood, Lendvai offers a firsthand look at the factors and players that have influenced this evolving power.

Inside Austria: New Challenges, Old Demons (Columbia/Hurst)

Columbia University Press

How has Hungary, a country once considered the vanguard of postcommunist political and economic reforms, become the chilling example of the new threats now destabilizing democracies across Central Europe? The unwelcome return of Hungary's long-buried demons -- nationalism, ethnic hatred, deeply-rooted corruption, and authoritarian tendencies -- are raising legitimate concerns. Since winning a two-thirds majority in parliament in the spring of 2010, right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has embarked on a sweeping and ruthless concentration of power, seeking to reshape the state according to the principles of his own private vision. 
A new constitution introducing a vast series of laws and decrees -- including radical changes in the judicial and electoral system as well as the dismantling of constitutional safeguards protecting the autonomy of the executive branch and the media -- seem destined to ensure the long-term hegemony of the far right. In addition, a campaign of vitriolic nationalist rhetoric and the likelihood of granting new voting rights to two and a half million ethnic Hungarians living in Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia have increased tensions in this volatile corner of Europe. Paul Lendvai provides an unsparing look at these developments, grounding his study in intimate knowledge of Hungary's major political figures and political culture. Lendvai also makes use of his unique insight into the aftermath of the fall of communism, which not only changed Hungary but also produced new political and social tensions in the Danube basin.

Hungary: Between Democracy and Authoritarianism (Columbia/Hurst)

Bureaucracy of Truth: How Communist Governments Manage the News

Burnett Books Ltd.

The Bureaucracy Of Truth: How Communist Governments Manage The News

Routledge

This book deals with the Communist mass media, their structure, function and control, combining common features and variations in each country. It discusses the significance and consequences of the Helsinki accords and the Eastern record of implementation in 1975.

On October 23, 1956, a popular uprising against Soviet rule swept through Hungary like a force of nature, only to be mercilessly crushed by Soviet tanks twelve days later. Only now, fifty years after those harrowing events, can the full story be told. This book is a powerful eyewitness account and a gripping history of the uprising in Hungary that heralded the future liberation of Eastern Europe.
 Paul Lendvai was a young journalist covering politics in Hungary when the uprising broke out. He knew the government officials and revolutionaries involved. He was on the front lines of the student protests and the bloody street fights and he saw the revolutionary government smashed by the Red Army. In this riveting, deeply personal, and often irreverent book, Lendvai weaves his own experiences with in-depth reportage to unravel the complex chain of events leading up to and including the uprising, its brutal suppression, and its far-reaching political repercussions in Hungary and neighboring Eastern Bloc countries. He draws upon exclusive interviews with Russian and former KGB officials, survivors of the Soviet backlash, and relatives of those executed. He reveals new evidence from closed tribunals and documents kept secret in Soviet and Hungarian archives. Lendvai's breathtaking narrative shows how the uprising, while tragic, delivered a stunning blow to Communism that helped to ultimately bring about its demise.
 One Day That Shook the Communist World is the best account of these unprecedented events.

One Day That Shook the Communist World: The 1956 Hungarian Uprising and Its Legacy

Princeton University Press

Product Description 
An updated new edition of a classic history of the Hungarians from their earliest origins to todayIn this absorbing and comprehensive history, Paul Lendvai tells the fascinating story of how the Hungarians, despite a string of catastrophes and their linguistic and cultural isolation, have survived as a nation for more than one thousand years. Now with a new preface and a new chapter that brings the narrative up to the present, the book describes the evolution of Hungarian politics, culture, economics, and identity since the Magyars first arrived in the Carpathian Basin in 896. Through colorful anecdotes of heroes and traitors, victors and victims, revolutionaries and tyrants, Lendvai chronicles the way progressivism and economic modernization have competed with intolerance and narrow-minded nationalism. An unforgettable blend of skilled storytelling and scholarship, The Hungarians is an authoritative account of this enigmatic and important nation. 
 Review 
"[A] glorious, immensely readable book." 
―The Economist\n"A pleasure to read. . . . Easily the best history of Hungary in English." 
―Stephen Goode, Washington Times\n"[ 
The Hungarians] is entertaining, often very funny, and would provide a good read for someone with little familiarity or interest in Hungary." 
―Tibor Fischer, The Guardian\n"The writing of national histories is . . . justified by the erudition and intellectual brilliance of the [author]. To this one must add, as a special attraction, the charm, wit and healthy cynicism of 
The Hungarians." 
―István Deák, Times Literary Supplement 
 About the Author 
Paul Lendvai is a Hungarian-born Austrian author of eighteen books on Central and Eastern Europe who worked for the 
 Financial Times for more than two decades. His previous book, 
Orbán: Europe's New Strongman, was awarded the European Book Prize 
.

The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat

Westview Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lendvai, Paul. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Lendvai, Paul

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lendvai, Paul. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Orbán: Hungary's Strongman

Hungary: Between Democracy and Authoritarianism

Inside Austria: New Challenges, Old Demons (Columbia/Hurst)

Hungary: Between Democracy and Authoritarianism (Columbia/Hurst)

Bureaucracy of Truth: How Communist Governments Manage the News

The Bureaucracy Of Truth: How Communist Governments Manage The News

The Bureaucracy Of Truth: How Communist Governments Manage The News

One Day That Shook the Communist World: The 1956 Hungarian Uprising and Its Legacy

The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat

The Bureaucracy Of Truth: How Communist Governments Manage The News