Over the past century, the region of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has always faced distinct kinds of uncertainty – political instability, armed conflicts, geopolitical problems, and corruption. The constant fluctuation of the value of money, the frequent changes in constitutional law, economic instability, and inflation have also been leading factors in this continuous uncertainty.
Young people are especially affected by these conditions. Historical precedents show that growing up in a politically unstable environment motivates adolescents to be as aware as possible in order to achieve a system level change for example, the ousting of Ceaușescu, or the ousting of the Socialists in Hungary in 1989.
The importance of critical thinking is quite clear. Analyzing information along with questioning every assumption and interpretation is key to being well informed. Moreover, assessing media, news biases, and evaluating propaganda helps to build up the courage to question everything. Political instability inevitably shapes the abstract thinking of younger generations by exposing them to opposing perspectives and applying demanding thinking and the ability to analyze in order to understand the complexity of political realities.
Political Instability
We often refer to political instability as one phenomenon, but for further understanding it needs a narrowed explanation. Speaking of the CEE region it is visible through the constant protest against governments and their actions. Teachers’ protests in Hungary over the past couple of years led by EDF (Egységes Diákfront) is a good representation of protests. These protests often arise as a response to corruption and dissatisfaction.
Moreover, constant changes in the most fundamental of laws in a country also cause unrest and uncertainty. In April 2025 the Hungarian government adopted several controversial amendments of the Constitution, not only dividing society, but also conflicting with EU values and regulations, for example in gender-related questions. This change has not been the only fundamental override of Hungarian laws, the Constitution itself was changed almost 20 times in 15 years, and, since 2012, electoral rules have also been changed again and again, depending on the interests of the current government. These developments have built concerns in citizens about the state of democracy, rule of law, and the centralization of governments.
Economic instability, such as inflation and increasing costs of living especially affect younger generations, specifically those who are at the gates of adulthood and individual life, or study in higher education. Corruption and repeated scandals create further uncertainty, thus engaging adolescents to question authority and engage in current social and political movements.
Exposure to Politics
Political awareness in the region usually begins at an earlier age. This earlier exposure is due to lively political discussion, whereas in more politically stable regions politics tend to seem more distant. Nowadays, online platforms, especially social media and websites provide more access to political information. However, easy access is also a challenge, adolescents not only have to find their way in the sea of data, half of it being fake news and misinformation, but they also have to critically assess the biases and different perspectives.
As a consequence, young people have to develop skills that help them determine and differentiate between unreliable and credible news. This process has to involve analyzing different perspectives, and recognizing inaccurate information. Moreover, there are some cultures/ societies that are overly politicized, where having an opinion is “mandatory”, therefore younger people also have to engage themselves in political reports and consume them. Tech-savviness is also an inherent advantage of the young generation which is tremendously handy when dealing with misinformation.
Historical Aspects
Throughout recent history, the experiences of those living in CEE have contributed to the critical thinking of adolescents. During the Soviet era, education systems in many communist and socialist countries were influenced by either propaganda or political ideologies. Authorities nevertheless attempted to shape the curriculum and learning materials according to ideological goals. Despite this, oppression led to outstanding achievements in the field of sciences especially in mathematics and physics, by highlighting different angles on how to solve problems and by analyzing them.
This period highlighted how restrictive surroundings can encourage intellectual growth in specific fields. Not only did the Soviet era lay the foundations for modern science, we also owe some of the great innovations in education to this restrictive era.
Research shows that environments that are overly politicized and defined by political challenges inspire the development of critical awareness. The exposure to instability necessitates people to question everything and dive deeper for understanding. Moreover, based on studies in psychology and public health, politically complex environments and societies have much deeper cognitive engagements.
Lastly, the collapse of the Soviet Union, until this very present day influences our society. We inherit from our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents the ability to resist and the need for reform, which can also shape our political perceptions and strengthen our criticism toward authorities.
The Importance of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking plays an essential role in democratic states. It allows people to understand and to interpret different political information as well as to contribute to making informed decisions. It enables people to build strong critical thinking skills and evaluate distinct arguments, identify propaganda.
In politically unstable environments the previous skills have an even bigger role. Young people have to understand complex political views, developments. Moreover, they have to have a deeper understanding regarding economic challenges, and evaluate the different biases connected to divergent ideologies. By engaging these problems, not only can they develop analytical and critical thinking, but also advocate a social change.
Furthermore, the ability to think critically encourages the younger generation to engage in civic life, like participating in voting, activism, and public debates. This should be standard, because as future leaders and decision-makers, it is very important to develop the ability to critically assess any political biases.
Political instability in Central-Eastern Europe throughout the years created an intellectually developing environment for younger generations. The presence of ambivalence, two or even more sided perspectives and historical aspects oblige adolescents to engage in political and social issues.
Exposure to different interpretations and non-stop interaction with propaganda, cultivate the improvement of critical thinking. Moreover, the historical experiences add to this process by providing the bases and foundation for analytical thinking.
Lastly, questioning the actions of a government and social problems contributes to the development of democracy in a state. While political instability most of the time creates challenges and pits people against each other, it also serves as a fundamental tool for intellectual growth.
Written by Lilla Vajna – an Intern at the Republikon Institute
References:
Arnett, J. J. (2011). Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood. Pearson.
Inglehart, R. (1997). Modernization and Postmodernization. Princeton University Press.
Mishler, W., & Rose, R. (2001). Political support for incomplete democracies. International Political Science Review.
PubMed Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21954896/
https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3392
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0313592622001552
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13676261.2023.2261861#abstract