Autocratization in Post-Communist Democracies by Ognen Vangelov

This book explains how democracy unravels from within. It develops a clear conceptual and comparative framework to trace autocratization, understood as the process through which elected leaders weaken checks and balances, neutralize opposition, and entrench dominant-party control while keeping democratic institutions formally intact. Through a detailed comparison of Hungary and Macedonia, the book shows how right-wing populist leaders combined nationalism and grievance politics to justify institutional manipulation and the creation of informal networks of control. These networks gradually fused into a single pyramid of power, subordinating courts, media, and business sectors to the ruling elite. While Hungary consolidated competitive authoritarian rule, Macedonia’s regime collapsed, exposing the fragility of such systems but without achieving decisive redemocratization. Applying its framework to Serbia, Poland, the United States, India, and Turkey, the book offers a broader and empirically grounded understanding of how modern autocratization reshapes democratic institutions, trajectories, and norms across diverse political contexts.

Ognen Vangelov is Associate Professor at the University American College Skopje, North Macedonia, and Research Fellow at Queen’s University, Canada. He specializes in the study of autocratization, nationalism, and power sharing in divided societies. His work has appeared in Europe-Asia Studies, Political Science Quarterly, and policy outlets such as Foreign Affairs and Freedom House’s Nations in Transit.