Theories and Practices Concerning Legitimisation Crises

Reform processes in the economic and political system, starting at the end of the 1960s, paved the way for the change of the political system 20 years later. As it is known, these essentially took place in the spirit of a ’social contract’ frequently referred to, which also contributed to the preservation of the legitimacy of the system. The biggest task of the transition was to create a constitutional system on the basis of the rule of law together with democratic institutions. In the meantime, the delegitimisation of the old regime was irrevocably completed both practically and symbolically with the reburial of Imre Nagy and the self-dissolution of the communist party. The legitimacy problem and weakness during the transition was partly caused by the fact that mass support for the new parties was uncertain. Furthermore, the factor referred to by several experts that there was no foundation act creating the legitimacy of the new regime also had a negative impact.