Modernisation and Social Transformation in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The specific analysis of Czech historical experience could offer inter- esting incentives for theoretical generalisations. The global post-Communist societal transformation is conceived in following paper as a complex social transforma- tion and modernisation in all spheres of human culture. Analogously, in several other European countries which already were relatively advanced before World War II, influence of totalitarian/egalitarian state socialist social system on moderni- sation processes in Czech lands was in principle negative. So far, post- Communist transformation of Czech society has been rather successful. However, this was caused, among others, by abandoning, postponing, or mitigation of some aspects of originally presupposed radical liberal democratic changes. The long-term prospects of Czech society depend mainly on ability of social and institutional system to stimulate a significant progress on road to qualitative modernisation. It will only be possible through creating a dynamic social equilib- rium generating a new motivation structure based on social relationships strongly influenced by principles of equity of chances and meritocracy. Czech Sociological Review 1996, Vol. 4 (No. 2: 171-186) As far as broader theoretical and methodological background of this paper is con- cerned, author will limit himself to only one short remark. The original incentive for developing orientation of presented in this paper was not academic desire to apply some already existing general theory of social change to a new historical case, i.e. post-communist transformation of 1990s in general or in a group of selected countries. Quite on contrary, considerations cumulated in this study, have been stimulated by need to explain concrete historical experience of Czech and Slovak Republics with state socialist social system, its collapse and replacement by a newly emerging social order. In analysis of post-Communist changes, more em- phasis is given on ongoing processes in Czech Republic, now a sovereign state. Thus, task of this study is to analyse, from a theoretical point of view, some aspects of concrete historical experience of recent changes occurred in one society in last fifty years. I do not think such an approach less valuable for development of theoreti- cal in sociology than are either inductive generalisations of many analysed cases or deductions on level of abstract categories. On this point, I share one of K. Marx's methodological principles, i.e. to consider the reproduction of concrete by means of thought as an indispensable, and perhaps most significant, part of theory (Marx 1857). However, this principle can work only if unique subject of analysis gives enough incentives for development of theoretically relevant ideas. I think that focusing on Czech experience could fulfil this requirement. Before