Hungary is a good example of breakdown countries. The most people think that countries in Europe have democracies that are stable, but Hungary is completely different. During the time, Hungary has become a place where democracy is increasingly fragile. I think this is the reason I wanted to learn more about it. Under Viktor Orbán, the government has become very powerful. He has been in power for a long time and controls much of the government. What makes the situation in Hungary so unique to study is that it didn’t happen because of a military takeover for a long time. In many countries, democracy fails because of a violent coup, but in Hungary, it happened within the legal system. This is a very modern form of losing freedom. As a Global Affairs student, I realized that we need to look closer at how they use laws to stay in power. It is not just about focusing on single leader. This shows about how a whole political system can be changed from the inside without most people noticing it immediately. This makes me wonder if democracy is more getting weak than we think.

Since 2010 Viktor Orbán and his party have kept winning elections, which means they have a lot of control over the parliament. After they won, they changed the constitution and the laws, which made the other parts of the government weaker. Thus, the system of checks and balances no longer functions effectively. This is what people call an “illiberal democracy”. They still have elections. Power is concentrated, and people are less free to speak their opinions. Hungary is moving in this direction. The loss of freedom in Hungary is obvious when you look at how the government oversees the news and the courts. The government in Hungary controls the news and the courts, which takes away people’s freedom. Orbán put most media companies into one big group that only likes his party. This makes it difficult for people to hear different ideas. Because the government’s voice is the loudest during elections, other parties cannot win fairly. Hungary shows that a democracy can break from the inside, even if people still go out to vote.

The media is also a problem in Hungary. A lot of the media companies are connected to the government. They are dominate a large part of the media market. This means there are not many people speaking out against the government and a lot of the news is favorable to the government. Because of this, the people do not get to hear a lot of opinions, and it is harder to have good discussions. From looking at Hungary, I learned that democracy does not just disappear one day. It can get weaker repeatedly. Just because a country has elections it does not mean that it is a full democracy. Democracy needs to have courts, free media and strong parties that are not in charge. One interesting I noticed is that even though they still have elections, they are not always fair. The party in charge has a prevailing advantage because they control the media and have a more resources. The other parties have a difficult time getting their ideas out to the public because they do not have the same opportunities and power. When people only hear one side of things it is harder for them to make decisions. This is one reason why democracy in Hungary is not as strong as it used to be. Moreover, people from countries have pointed out these problems. For example, Freedom House rates that Hungary is only “partly free”. This shows that people inside and outside of Hungary know that there are big problems. Overall looking at Hungary taught me that democracy is not about voting. Even if a country has elections democracy can still get fail if they do not protect fairness, freedom and different opinions. Hungary is an example of democratic backsliding, and I think it is important to study it. Hungary and its government led by Viktor Orbán are an example of how democracy can slowly get fragile.

What I found interesting is that even though Hungary still has elections”, they are not always fair. Just because a country has elections, it does not mean it is a “full democracy”. A real democracy needs to have independent courts, a free media, and strong political parties that are not in charge but still have a fair chance. The party in charge in Hungary has a huge advantage because they control the media and have more money and resources. The other parties are still struggled to get their ideas out to the public because they do not have the same opportunities. When people only concentrate one side of things, it is much harder for them to make a balanced decision during an election. Thus, it is one of the main reasons why democracy in Hungary is not as strong as it used to be under a more balanced system.

In these days, many people share the same concerns I have about what’s happening. Many people and organizations around the world have noticed these serious problems in Hungary. For example, a group called Freedom House, which looks at how free countries now rates Hungary as only “partly free”. This is crucial because it shows that experts everywhere know something is wrong with the freedom in Hungary. I have learned a lot from looking at this case. Democracy is about more than voting on election day. I used to think that if people could vote everything was fine. Now I see that even if a country holds elections democracy can still get decline and “backslide” if we don’t protect things like fairness, the right to speak our minds and hearing different opinions. Hungary is an example of how democracy can slowly disappear. Viktor Orbán’s government shows us that democracy doesn’t usually go at once. It is more like a slow leak that eventually leaves the system empty. As a student as a Global Affairs major, I think it’s very important to study this carefully. It reminds us that we can never take our freedom for granted and that we must always keep an eye on how power’s being used.

To sum up, the case of Hungary proves that democracy does not necessarily fail in a sudden way. Instead, it can get worse over years. When elections still happen, they don’t mean much if one person or group has too much power and the press is not free. When the government controls media outlets citizens won’t have many choices to get information. This led to their vote less reliable because they are not getting the truth. Hungary’s story shows us that we must always be careful to protect the parts of democracy before they are gone forever. To be more detail, we should realize that keeping democracy strong depends on our attention. We must stay informed and speak up for fairness to ensure that our future remains free and truly democratic for everyone.”