Combatting Illiberalism in the Heart of Europe: Lessons from Slovakia
Combatting Illiberalism in the Heart of Europe: Lessons from Slovakia

Summary/Abstract: The issue of democratic backsliding and moves towards illiberalism in Central Europe have been the topic of much discussion in recent years. Much of this discussion has focused, not without reason, on Hungary and Poland. However, Slovakia has already had its own experience of illiberalism, one which was largely defeated following the 1998 elections, allowing the country to recover and claim its place within international institutions such as the EU and NATO. This article assesses what lessons can be learned from Slovakia’s experience. There are four main lessons gained from studying this example: 1) the similarities through time and space indicate that there is reason to believe that future episodes may well follow the same path, at least in terms of techniques; 2) the inclusive and united front of the Slovak opposition was highly important, but still eludes the presently backsliding nations; 3) the role of international pressure was central to defeating illiberalism in Slovakia and will likely be so in any successful defeating of illiberalism again in the future; 4) the watershed moment of the 1998 election in Slovakia was important but it was not the end of the struggle against illiberalism.

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