ZASTARELOST POLITIČKOG POVERENJA
OBSOLETENESS OF POLITICAL TRUST

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with the issue of political trust. It deals with the historic dimension of the declining political trust and possible correlation between this decline and democratic nature of the system. The article defends the claim that the decline of political trust – which appeared in the late 1960s – partially removed trust from the political sphere and fortified social trust, instigated by activities of social movements. At the same time, this trend paved the way and accentuated the need for “party movements” that turned out to be relevant, especially in the period after the 2008 global economic crisis. In that context, the decline of political trust – contrary to the claims of mainstream literature about democracy – led not to democracy’s endangerment but to a new possibility of reestablishing it from below. Nevertheless, the article claims that this opportunity for re-democratization was largely missed; at the beginning of the third decade of 21st century, mainstream political figures are reclaiming their positions and old institutions are reconsolidating their ranks – but both are looking for support, more than they are looking for trust. At the same time, political institutions are left almost “untacked” and unreformed and as such, continue to function without trust. From the contemporary perspective, it appears that political trust is “obsolete” and that the system continues to function – to a great extent – without it.

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