Comparison of Central European Political Systems - JMMZ109

• Title: Comparison of Central European Political Systems
• Guaranteed by: Department of German and Austrian Studies (23-KNRS)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2018
• Semester: winter
• E-Credits: 6
• Examination process: winter s.:
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/0, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / unknown (3)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: not taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
• Guarantor: prof. PhDr. Michal Kubát, Ph.D.

Annotation

Last update: prof. PhDr. Michal Kubát, Ph.D. (22.09.2016)

This course is an introduction to the modern politics and government of Central Europe in the twentieth century and present. We will examine five periods in the class: 1918-1939 (between World War I and World War II), 1939-1945 (the World War II), 1944-1948 (Sovietization), 1949–1989 (Communist era), after 1989. All these periods will be studied through a comparative approach. You will not only learn about the most important and contemporary political events but you will also learn to apply basic theories of political science to Central European political practice, or more precisely analyze them by means of these periods.

Literature

Last update: prof. PhDr. Michal Kubát, Ph.D. (22.09.2016)

Ian D. Armour, A History of Eastern Europe 1740-1918. London: Hodder, 2006

R. J. Crampton, Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. London and New York: Routledge, 1994

George Schöpflin, Politics in Eastern Europe 1945-1992. Oxford-Malden: Blackwell, 1993

Joseph Held (ed.). The Columbia History of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1992

Michal Kubát, On the classical theories of non-democratic regimes and their usefulness in examining Eastern Europe 1944-1989. Studia nad Autorytaryzmem i Totalitaryzmem, Vol. 35, No. 1, 2013

Juan J. Linz, Alfred Stepan, Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation. Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996

Constitution of the Czech Republic

http://www.psp.cz/cgi-bin/eng/docs/laws/1993/1.html

Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms

http://www.psp.cz/cgi-bin/eng/docs/laws/1993/2.html

Constitution of the Slovak Republic

http://www.nrsr.sk/default.aspx?SectionId=124

The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary (1949-2011)

http://www.mkab.hu/index.php?id=constitution

The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary (2012)

http://www.euractiv.com/sites/all/euractiv/files/BRNEDA224_004970.pdf

http://www.euractiv.com/sites/all/euractiv/files/CONSTITUTION_in_English__DRAFT.pdf

Small Constitution of Poland 1992

http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/pl02000_.html

The Constitution of the Republic of Poland 1997

http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm

 

 

 

Requirements to the exam

Last update: prof. PhDr. Michal Kubát, Ph.D. (04.10.2016)

Upon successful completion of this course, student should be able to:

 

1)     Understand the fundamentals of politics and government in East-Central Europe,

2)     Identify the main turning points in the development of politics and government in the 20^th century and present,

3)     Evaluate particularities of politics and government in the region.

 

Class participation/attendance: 10 %

Final exam: 90 %

Final exam will consist of an in-class test (with open questions).

Students will receive additional information on all assessment components in the first class.

 

Grade A:  Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.

Grade B:  Good work. The student has demonstrated high competence and an ability to answer the given set of problems with some insights.

Grade C:  Passable work. The student made significant mistakes. Makes attempt to answer the problem but in a rather mechanical way and lacking individual insights.

Grade D:  Poor work. Meets minimum requirements.

Grade F:  Fails to meet the requirements.

 

Syllabus

Last update: prof. PhDr. Michal Kubát, Ph.D. (22.09.2016)

 

1) Politics and Government in Central Europe Before 1918

2) Politics and Government in Central Europe 1918-1939 (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland)

3) Politics and Government in Central Europe During World War II

4) The communist takeovers – sovietization in Central Europe 1944-1948

5) Politics and Government in Central Europe 1944-1989 (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland)

6) Totalitarianism and Authoritarianism in Central Europe

7) The Breakdown of Communist Regimes – Transition to Democracy in Central Europe

8) Politics and Government in Central Europe After 1989 (Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland)