Development In Czechoslovakia Research Articles

SOVYETLER BİRLİĞİ’NİN ÇEKOSLOVAKYA’YA MÜDAHALESİNİN TÜRK KAMUOYUNDA DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

When the Second World War ended, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), established dominance over the region in all its dimensions by establishing satellite governments in the East of Europe that coincided exactly with its own system in political, economic, and social terms. The Eastern European countries, which had come under the full control of the USSR, began to take steps towards producing relatively more independent policies since the 1960s. Since January 1968, Czechoslovakia, under the leadership of Alexander Dubcek, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (CPC), also moved towards socialism in a more original way in accordance with its own social dynamics. It started a reform initiative called the “Prague Spring”. After Dubcek’s insistence on reform, the Warsaw Pact countries, except Romania, intervened militarily in Czechoslovakia under the leadership of the USSR. The CPC leadership decided not to resist this invasion carried out by the countries affiliated with the Warsaw Pact. Soviet forces going into Prague arrested CPC General Secretary Dubcek and Prime Minister Cernik and took them to Moscow. After the “normalization” talks between the parties in Moscow, although CPC General Secretary Dubcek said that they would not back down from the idea of “socialism, humanism, and national independence”, he ultimately agreed to act in accordance with the demands of the USSR. Turkish Political thought, following the developments in Czechoslovakia. In this study, based on the prominent newspapers and magazines of the period such as Akşam, Ant, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Ulus, and the Turkish Left, it was aimed to examine the reflections of the events experienced in Czechoslovakia in August 1968 on Turkey’s public opinion.

The Czechoslovak Year 1968: An Attempt to Revise Marxism-Leninism and Its Political Consequences

ABSTRACT The content of the study is socio-political development in Czechoslovakia, known as the so-called Prague Spring or “revival process.” It started in January 1968, when A. Dubček became First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak “revival process” found its theoretical expression in the concept of the scientific and technological revolution and the “Action Program of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.” In practical politics, Dubček’s party leadership led to the strengthening of pro-capitalist tendencies and forces in society, which threatened to grow into the elimination of the fundamental pillars of Czechoslovak socialism.

The music mainstream in communism revisited: a corpus analysis of Czechoslovak pop lyrics (1962–1991)

ABSTRACT This article presents a content analysis of Czechoslovak pop lyrics based on a survey of a representative corpus of the repertoire from 1962 to 1991 containing 271 commercially successful vocal–instrumental songs. Its aim is to capture the thematic development of song lyrics on a defined timeline with regard to the broader cultural and political context, especially in relation to political developments in Czechoslovakia after the occupation by Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968 and the subsequent phase of so-called “normalization”. In this sense, the article examines the concept of “normalization pop”, which appeared in Czech journalism immediately after the collapse of the communist regime and which gradually became part of the official interpretation of Czechoslovak popular music history. According to this view, the pop of the 1970s and 1980s, especially through its lyrics, fulfilled a primary propaganda function, thus fundamentally distinguishing itself from the authentic output of the previous decade. The article explores the extent to which such an interpretation corresponds to the real nature of pop of the period, and to what extent it is merely a construct of anti-communist tendencies seeking a vigorous rejection of the pre-1989 era and its official culture.

Studium ruských dějin a retrospektivní forma jejich výuky jako nástroje poznání nesvobody, despocie a totalitarismu

This article analyses traditions of Czech historiographic discourse concerning the geopolitical area of Russia and the Soviet Union, focusing especially on those concerning contemporary history (“Zeitgeschichte”). In particular, it draws attention to the recognition of the genesis, transformations and position of the Russian / Soviet state in the sense of revealing the roots and manifestations of oppression, despotism and totalitarianism in the geopolitical area of Russia / the Soviet Union. It also observes the way in which Czech historiography approached phenomena such as the “Russian Empire”, “Soviet Empire”, “Authoritarian Power” and others over the course of decades (and centuries), as well as the thematic and methodological changes it underwent during the process. Concerning the most recent period, it confronts the historiographical view with political science and critically evaluates the absence of certain crucial themes. It notes the absence of Czech works focusing on this time period, as well as the absence of such works being at least partially compensated by translations of foreign production. The study pays special attention to the second half of the 20th century when such research was being deformed and thematically impoverished due to the so-called Marxist-Leninist methodology. It also draws attention to the changes that occurred in the field following the Velvet Revolution and the subsequent political development in Czechoslovakia / the Czech Republic. The possibility of a free choice of topics that occurred after the changes in November 1989 is recognized as especially positive. At the same time, however, the article notes the insufficiency of Czech historiographical focus on the complex history of Russia in the sense of searching for roots and particular manifestations of oppression, despotism and totalitarianism, with special regard to the 20th century and its impact on the present day and the absence of any such topics (not necessarily directly related to oppression, despotism and totalitarianism) on all levels of the education system. A general lack of time and spotlight is identified as one of the reasons, as topics from recent history are usually arranged at the very end the end of teaching cycles. Therefore, at the end of the article, the author proposes to use a retrospective form of teaching that would first acquaint students with current events and, subsequently, gradually pace back to discuss the key events that created that current process.

Thinking relationally about socialist cities: cross–border connections in Czechoslovak post-war urban planning and housing construction

ABSTRACT This article makes a case for a relational approach to studying the history of ‘socialist cities’ in Europe as inherently interconnected with various other places through transnational links. It attempts to contribute to historians’ debates about the socialist city and to interlink them with the project of developing a ‘global urban studies’. To do so, it brings several examples from the history of urban planning and urban development in post-war Czechoslovakia which challenge academic representations of socialist cities as specific and disconnected from places across the Iron Curtain. First, based on a review of contemporary professional literature in urban planning and architecture, the article points out some of the channels through which knowledge about and from geographically or ideologically distant places, including the ‘Western’ world, was available to Czechoslovak experts, and, especially, how this knowledge has been reflected in their own debates about housing construction and urban development in Czechoslovakia. Second, one palpable example of exchanges across the borders of the then-divided Europe is depicted through the transnational story of wooden prefabricated houses. So called Finnish houses were produced in Finland, yet they became an integral part of several cities and towns in socialist Czechoslovakia.

Investigation and Political Processes with Soldiers in Czechoslovakia (1948–1989)

The basic approach of the author was to place issues into the context of the political development of Czechoslovakia after the events of February, 1948. The applied research confirmed the theory that political delinquency of member of military personnel formed a unique class. The worst crimes of the founding period were the core of the author’s focus. This period can be characterized by political trials made as thought-out systems of illegalities organized by the bodies of military justice. Afterwards, the persecutions continued but only in an individual and more selective way. The author used original historical sources which are common for contemporary history.

Gustáv Husák and the Foundations of ‘Normalization’: Slovak, Czechoslovak and Federative Perspectives, 1968–1970

ABSTRACTThis article tries to analyze the early stages of normalization by looking at three dimensions which simultaneously played a part in this complex post-liberal situation. Important was not only political developments in Czechoslovakia as a whole, but also more specifically the situation in Slovakia, the homeland of Gustáv Husák, both communist and Slovak patriot. The fact that normalization coincided with the onset of federalization of the Czechoslovak state implied that the political instrumentalization of federalization added a further dimension to the complexity of normalization. Husák proved to be the person who was best-prepared to exploit the political opportunities offered by this situation and to take command of the new dynamics in Czechoslovakia after August 1968. However, the complex process of normalization moved forward only slowly, step by step, and Husák had to work hard to bring the situation ‘under control’. The article also argues that this was only possible because the new party leader was constantly using a ‘populist’ discourse of ensuring peace and quiet and eliminating chaos and uncertainty. Husák and the other normalizers may have believed in communist ideology, but they realized that they had to define the situation in other terms as well in order to win over at least a part of the Czechoslovak population.

The Greek emigres in Czechoslovakia and their life in the 1960s

The article acquaints the reader with the structure of Greek political emigration in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, drawing on Czech as well as Greek archives. It follows primarily demographic, social, and cultural aspects of the emigre group that was closely linked to the Communist Party of Greece. In particular, it pursues the issue of the forming of emigre identity in the era of De-Stalinisation. The article is concerned with social developments in the emigre group and their gradual integration into the Czechoslovak society of the 1960s. It pursues the complicated process of building a new identity, the national and linguistic structure of the emigre group, its standard of living and employment, their educational system, the process of the formation of their own intelligentsia, and generation issues. Individual topics are examined on a socio-cultural level in the context of political developments in Czechoslovakia and Greece.Key words: Czechoslovakia, Greek emigration, Communist Party of Greece, Greek diaspora, identity

Models of Formation of National Countries in Europe: Case-Study of Czechoslovakia

The author is inclined to think, that the process of formation of new type states directly depended on the previous existence in one or another territory halves of the future pair ‘state – standardized culture’, where they were formed before the beginning of industrialization. The process of the emergence of national states was quick and painless, without the adoption of special political decisions and the passage of various stages of cultural homogenization.The in-depth analysis of the peculiarities of the political development of Czechoslovakia indicates that it differs from other CEE states. In the course of the political process, Czechoslovakia ‘out of order’ habitual for many trampled by internal disputes and dismembered among themselves states of this region. But its model can be used in many respects, if not for imitation, then as a dominant paradigm for contemporary or future development in the third millennium.
 Keywords: National states, ‘state – standardized culture’, Czechoslovakia, political process, political crises

Českoslovenští sportovci a jejich účast na Pershingově olympiádě

The presented article deals with the participation of Czechoslovak sportsmen in Inter-Allied Games. This great sports action, which was mainly organized by the YMCA, took place in Paris in 1919 to celebrate the victorious states of WWI. From the newly founded Czechoslovakia the wrestlers, tennis players, football players, fencers and rowers took part. The Czechoslovak sportsmen achieved a lot of great results, for example the first place in football tournament. Except from comparison of results of Czechoslovak and foreign sportsmen the Inter-Allied Games had a great impact for the development of physical education and sport in interwar Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovakian participants started to cooperate with the American team coach – the Czech-American Josef Amos Pipal, who contributed to sports development in Czechoslovakia in early 1920s.

Czechoslovak light rail — Legacy of socialist urbanism or opportunity for the future?

This article focuses on the development of the Czechoslovak ‘rychlá tramvaj’ (‘fast tram’) systems in Prague, Bratislava and Brno. Its aim is to examine whether these systems meet the requirements of light rail and whether it is possible to continue their development as a functional light rail city transport system. A further aim is a detailed analysis of the conditions and contexts affecting the gradual development of ‘rychlá tramvaj’ schemes in three selected metropolises in the former Czechoslovakia.Urban development in Czechoslovakia was affected by the socialist planning system that constructed large housing estates on the edges of metropolises during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, many commuters had to be moved between them and city centres daily; therefore, the necessity for high-capacity ‘rychlá tramvaj’ connections became apparent. After socio-political changes in 1989, a market economy was introduced and the trends of commercial and residential suburbanization have modified the spatial structure of the cities, and mobility has begun to be increasingly dependent on cars. In response to this, city councils departed from further development of ‘rychlá tramvaj’ schemes. Currently, the emphasis on sustainable mobility is apparent, principally because of smart city solutions, an environmental focus and a common European transport policy; thus, municipalities are rediscovering the virtues of light rail lines again. Because the ‘rychlá tramvaj’ systems from the 1970s and 1980s are still in operation, transforming them into modern light rail systems appears to be a convenient and cheap solution.

János Kádár as an Economic Reformist And Gustáv Husák As An Antireformist

Abstract This paper deals with both political and economic history. The main task was to try to compare the attitude of Gustáv Husák and János Kádár about economic reforms in their own countries. The comparison was based on their lives, interests and personalities. Historical evaluation and biographical material was also used. Taking into account that the political circumstances were very similar, the root of the differences between the acts of these politicians had to be the result of individual factors. However, it cannot be denied that the difference between the development of Czechoslovakia and Hungary also played a significant role.

Medical Decision Support and Medical Informatics Education: Roots, Methods and Applications in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic

The paper describes the history of medical informatics in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It focuses on the topics of medical informatics education and decision support methods and systems. Several conferences held in Czechoslovakia and in the Czech Republic organized in cooperation with IMIA or EFMI are described. Support of European Union and Czech agencies in several European and national projects focused on medical informatics topics highly contributed to medical informatics development in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic and to the establishment of the European Center for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology as the joint workplace of Charles University in Prague and Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in 1994.

The Politics of Collective Inaction: NATO's Response to the Prague Spring

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) kept close track of developments in Czechoslovakia throughout 1968, but the alliance did not pursue a coherent policy toward the uprising. A close examination of NATO actions from January 1968 until the invasion on 20–21 August helps explain why a coordinated approach never materialized. Certain structural features of the alliance and a host of domestic and external distractions precluded a joint response. NATO members worked individually rather than collectively to avert Soviet military action through quiet diplomacy, but these efforts made almost no difference.

On the history of computer science, computer engineering, and computer technology development in Slovakia

The history of computer developments in Czechoslovakia spans the period from the end of World War II until recent times, when the country split into two: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is an account of those developments. When the area was one country, the story includes information about the entire national picture, but we have, in this article, put particular emphasis on those events occurring in Slovakia.

Urban development in czecho-slovakia: some background conditions for local level public administration

Concepts and skills from the Public Administration field are in strong demand by local governments in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic. After forty years in which local level initiatives in government and in business were squelched, there now exist extensive opportunities. After discussing the extent of past centralization, population trends and local public spending by city sizes are defined for the Czech Republic. A comparative analysis of a single Czech city with a German city of similar size points out some special limitations in land use employment and tax base facing local public policy makes. In conclusion, the need for attention to institution-building and for local area information as part of technical assistance efforts is discussed.

The Legitimation Problems of New Democracies: Postcommunist Dilemmas in Czechoslovakia and Hungary

After 1989 the countries of Eastern Europe embarked upon new directions away from central economies and one-party systems towards market economies and democratic systems. The courses of these political and economic transformations largely depended upon the ability of the emerging regimes to create legitimacy. In particular, those regimes which suffered from greater political divisiveness and significant economic problems were more likely to be confronted with a crisis of legitimacy. In this paper, the legitimation crisis theory is examined for post-communist Czechoslovakia and Hungary. It is found that the developments in Czechoslovakia and Hungary during this early transition period support the hypothesis, and, in addition, they hold implications for the survival of other transitional regimes as well as those in the West which have increasingly been confronted with questions of legitimacy.

Transition, constitution-making and separation in Czechoslovakia

This article discusses political developments in Czechoslovakia and the two successor states from November 1989 to the end of 1992. Three main topics are explored: the failure to write a new constitution for Czechoslovakia, the breakup of the country, and the making of new constitutions in the Czech and Slovak Republics. The author argues against the view that the breakup of the Czechoslovak federation was analogous to the breakup of the Yugoslav or Soviet federations. Instead he suggests the inherent instability of any two-member federation as the structural cause, and economic conflicts as the triggering cause, of the breakup.

Addendum: Financing R&D systems in OECD countries and Czechoslovakia — A comparison

The author draws comparisons between the research and development systems in OECD countries and in Czechoslovakia. Three-dimensional statistical data is presented concerning Czechoslovak research and development expenditures and personnel. The distribution of per capita expenditures between industrial, university and governmental sectors in OECD countries and Czechoslovakia is also shown. The author describes his proposal for improving the quality of research and development in Czechoslovakia in light of the present economic situation.

Agrarian reforms in Eastern Europe : Introduction

This article introduces a special feature on reforms in East European agriculture. Subsequent papers cover current developments in Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Poland. This introduction highlights the common feature of reform in the three countries (the change from a socialist planned economy to a market economy) but lays stress on the different circumstances under which the reforms are taking place. Czechoslovakia has a large-scale farm sector and a relatively well developed infrastructure; Bulgaria also has large-scale farms but a poor infrastructure; and in Poland over one million small farms exist within a socialist economic system.