What is Comparative Politics?

In our topic comparative politics means comparing and contrasting the ways that Austria and Hungary dealt with changing their political and economic systems after the Soviet Union decided that Austria could remain outside its grasp.

In essence we have been comparing two nations that were on the same path for quite some time, until a crossroads was reached. We then get to see what Austria could have been like as a satellite and what Hungary could have been like as a Soviet-free state.

I see comparative politics as a way to see how future countries can turn out if faced with a similar situation. If a state is made part of a collective, it turns out like Hungary, sort of. By observing and comparing different states’ reactions to this type of adversity, one can then predict a future scenario.

German Election

I found the mock German election to be very interesting. I found it very interesting that the FDP could win the most seats in the Bundestag without any of their individual candidates winning. The two vote system makes it so that after voting for the representative for your region you also vote for an entire party. FDP got nearly all the party votes.

However, the thing I find most interesting is that they ended up not being in the controlling governmental political alliance. The party with the most votes should be in the strongest position to take part in the majority coalition. However, the leaders of the CDU/CSU and the SPD in our class decided to use the Green Party to get the most possible power. Initially the FDP came to my party, the SPD, with an offer of a coalition and four ministerial positions. however, we wanted the chancellorship and began talks with the two smaller parties to form a three party government. Our greed got the best of us and the CDU/CSU ended up with the chancellorship and we only got three ministries. The FDP ended up on the outside looking in, and they can attribute that more to the other party leaders individual ambition than to their own political blunder.

Democracy and Austria

After World War II, Austria was able to reintroduce its original constitution from 1920. The government in Austria is a democratic republic which includes a parliament. This parliament is bicameral. In this government the head of state is the Federal President, who is elected directly by popular vote. This president is responsible for appointing the Federal Chancellor, who is the chairman of the Federal Government.  For the most part , the Austrian government is dominated by five political parties , which includes  the Labor Party, Conservative Party, Environmental Party,  and two right-wing nationalist parties. Also since 1995, Austria has been a member of the European Union.

The Treatment of Austria and Hungary after World War II

After the fall of Germany during World War II, the question of what to do with the surviving nations was posed to the Allied Powers. Two of these nations were Austria and Hungary. Austria was treated much like Germany was. It was divided into four separate parts and each part was occupied by one of the Ally Powers. There was a British, French, Soviet, and American zone. After the war it became very hard to travel across the border of the Soviet zone, much like Germany at the time. However, Austria was treated with more leniency because the country was initially invaded by Germany at the beginning of the war. Finally in May of 1955, the country signed the Austrian State Treaty with all of the occupying forces. This treaty granted Austria complete independence, and later that year, the Austrian Parliament declared that the country was “permanently neutral”.

The fate of Hungary would be very different though. After the war, the whole country was occupied by Soviet troops, and the communist influence was obvious. Stalinist rule was established. Forced collectivization and a planned economy were implemented into the Hungarian government, and the Hungarian citizens faced harsh conditions. In 1956, the Hungarian Revolution occurred. The revolution was an attempt to permanently separate Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. However, the Soviets retaliated with an enormous military effort to put an end to the uprising. It was until 1991, when the Soviet Union finally dissolved, that Hungary finally became an independent nation.

Semester Topic

Our semester topic is the different political ideas and methods in Austria and Hungary. These neighboring states have many things in common, including that for 51 years the two were a dual-monarchy. However, the major difference is that after WWII, the Soviet Union allowed Austria to become a democratic state whereas in Hungary troops were deployed to ensure that Communist leaders won elections. Since the fall of Communism, Hungary has been considered a developing nation, and Austria is established. I want to compare these countries political methods since the fall of Communism.

Step 1: Observe a Social Fact

An Afghan student was sentenced to death after distributing an article that was considered an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. He still has the right to appeal though. You can see the article here.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!