ABSTRACT
This chapter consists of an historical analysis, based largely on secondary scholarly sources, that aims at characterizing the development of political platforms in each society with particular reference to the philosophical ideas that are employed in order to connect with citizens. The chapter considers the extent to which the range of political discourse available from recent historical Serbian and Bulgarian political competition has facilitated identification with and, by extension principled participation in, the liberal democratic system. The Serbian political arena remains marginally more philosophically diverse, which the chapter attempts to explain with reference to the deeper roots of progressive identity formation in the pre-1989 past. Drawing on these progressive roots, liberal civil society actors in Serbia have taken up the challenge of opposing the dominance of illiberal discourse on consistent, principled bases in a way that has not occurred in Bulgaria. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the findings in comparative perspective.
