National and socialist: political representation in the left-authoritarian quadrant in Eastern Europe

The left-authoritarian quadrant of the political space contains forces that are simultaneously ‘national’ and ‘socialist’. Such a combination of positions is rare in Western Europe, but is clearly gaining political traction. Eastern Europe, on the other hand, has been a home to left-authoritarian parties for a long time. This article addresses the characteristics of left-authoritarian parties and their supporters in Eastern Europe, uncovering an interesting paradox – Eastern European left-authoritarians herald from a diversity of ideological families, yet tend to propose similar policies. This article explains this phenomenon by demonstrating the formative role of non-economic divides, particularly ethnicity and religiosity. The article underscores how ethnicity and religiosity determine whether the left-authoritarian space gets populated, and by whom. In doing so, the article provides valuable lessons for Western party systems that will likely see increasing left-authoritarian supply in the near future.