Political opposition as a prerequisite of the beginning of democratization in the Visegrad group countries (1989– 1993): comparative analysis

Abstract

The article is devoted to the consideration of the place and features of the structuring of political opposition in the Visegrad group countries as a prerequisite and indicator of the beginning of democratization in them.It was revealed that in the course of the analyzed period, political opposition in the region managed to pass two stages of development: pre-institutional (in the form of socio-political protest) and institutional (in the form of political institution). The author proposed a theorization, according to which the lines of division between separate types and models of processes of the beginning of democratization in the countries of the Visegrad Group were excessively blurred and unconfirmed. It was generalized that as a result of the beginning of democratization in the Visegrad group countries, political opposition al- most immediately began to be understood primarily as a parliamentary or party-parliamentary opposition.At the same time, not only the parliamentary opposition became a manifestation of political opposition in the region, since the latter also included socio-political groups, movements and organizations.