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174 | THE PROFESSIONALISM OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

the development of the general tendencies of media systems discernible throughout
the world, but mainly originating in the United States. The Western – especially
American – media and ‘democracy’ advisors contributed significantly to this
development, but often the results were different from those expected because of the
different political cultural environment. The effects of so-called professional political
communication were much stronger in a society where the tools of political marketing
and persuasion were less common, and the society was rather vulnerable. The
differences in the competence in utilising the new tools and methods affected
significantly the fate of the different political forces, the political power relations, and
therefore the political articulation of the country and the character of the new
democracy. The role of personality of the political leaders seems to have been a
determining factor in the fate of a political party due to the personalisation of the
political competition. The use of so-called professional communication methods
undoubtedly exacerbated the intense competition between the parties and, at the
same time, the use of professional marketing and PR tools brought to the surface and
intensified the latent dividing lines that had long characterised Hungarian society.

It can be added that, following the change of regime, the efficiency of professional
It can be added that, following the change of the regime, the efficiency of professional
communication tools was considerable influenced by the interplay of the
professionalism of the politicians, the professionalism of journalists, characteristics of
the media and the over-politicised Hungarian society, which was partly the result and
partly the condition of using these tools.

As a conclusion, it seems that, with the tools and methods of political communication
developed first in the United States, certain specificities of the populist democracy were
imported as well.The question as to whether this is good or bad remains to be answered.
The Professionalisation of Political Communication
NOTES
1. In 1995 the Young Democrats changed their name to the Young Democrats – Hungarian Civic
Party, in 2003 absorbing the overwhelming majority of the right wing forces they established
the Young Democrats Hungarian Civic Alliance but they are still generally referred to, as this
chapter does,as the Young Democrats.
2 The situation is similar to the one described in Stanley B. Greenberg (2004) The Two Americas
(New York, St. Martin’s Press 2004.) Greenberg, it should also be noted, was one of the
communication consultants used by the Socialist government and prime minister in 2004.
Although there are also two smaller parties,they are relatively insignificant.
3. Their defeat in the 2002 elections was partly due to the result of the over-confidence of the
Young Democrats’ government, and also to the fact that they prepared to forget about the
other half of the country,which they had treated as an enemy.
4. The Young Democrats run an interesting course in the political arena. As one of the first
parties in opposition, they dedicated themselves to the fight against the former one-party
system, ideologically against communism, first identifying themselves as liberals, later,
reacting to the changes in the Hungarian political arena, concerned about the results of the
political transition, by the return of the socialists, placed themselves at the lead of the
176 conservatives. In building their team, they asked the members of their future professional