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The intention of the course is to provide the students with knowledge about contemporary history of Central Europe in order to be able to understand the specifics of its political, socioeconomic and cultural developments in the recent past that have impacted on the societies of Central European countries today. The course uses a variety of methodological approaches to deal with key historical and contemporary issues such as the process of nation-building, dealing with the German political, economic and cultural hegemony, expulsion/resettlement of Germans and coming to terms with the past, dynamics of the development of societies in the communist era, achievements and failures of the post-communist transformation and important recent topics such as migration crisis, etc. Poslední úprava: Němcová Tejkalová Alice, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (19.02.2023)
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The intention of the course is to provide the students with knowledge about contemporary history of Central Europe in order to be able to understand the specifics of its political, socioeconomic and cultural developments in the recent past that have impact on the societies of Central European countries today. The course uses a variety of methodological approaches to deal with key historical and contemporary issues such as the process of nation-building, dealing with the German political, economic and cultural hegemony, expulsion/resettlement of Germans and coming to terms with the past, dynamics of the development of societies in the communist era, achievements and failures of the post-communist transformation and important recent topics such as migration crisis, etc. Poslední úprava: Němcová Tejkalová Alice, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (19.02.2023)
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Ash, Timothy Garton. 1986. "Does Central Europe exist?", The New York Review of Books, October 9, 1986. Ash, Timothy Garton. 1999. "The Puzzle of Central Europe", in The New York Review of Books, March 18, 1999. Glassheim, Eagle. 2000. "National Mythologies and Ethnic Cleansing: The Expulsion of Czechoslovak Germans in 1945", in Central European History, (4)33, pp. 463–486. Havel, Václav et al. 1985. "The Power of the Powerless", in The Power of the Powerless: Citizens against the state in central-eastern Europe., ed. John Keene (Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe), pp. 19–72. Havlík, Vlastimil. 2015. "The Economic Crisis in the Shadow of Political Crisis: The Rise of Party Populism in Central Europe", in European Populism in the Shadow of the Great Recession, eds. Hanspeter Kriesi and Takis S. Pappas (ECPR Press), pp. 199–215. Hroch, Miroslav. 1996. "Nationalism and national movements: comparing the past and the present of Central and Eastern Europe", in Nations and Nationalism, (1)2, pp. 35–44. Hroch, Miroslav. 2016. "Central European Path to the Modern Nation: Myth and Reality", in Annual of Language & Politics & Politics of Identity, pp. 7–15. Johnson, Lonnie R. 1996. Central Europe. Enemies, Neighbors, Friends. Oxford University Press. Koczanowicz, Leszek. 2012. "The Politics of Catastrophe – Poland´s Presidential Crash and the Ideology of Post-postcommunism", in East European Politics & Societies, (4)26, pp. 811–828. Krastev, Ivan. 2016. "The Unraveling of the Post-1989 Order", in Journal of Democracy, Vol. (4)27, pp. 6–15. Kundera, Milan. 1984. The tragedy of central Europe, in The New York Review of Books; Apr 26, 1984, pp. 33–38. Orbán, Viktor, Speech at the XXV. Bálványos Free Summer University and Youth Camp, 26th July, 2014, Băile Tuşnad (Tusnádfürdő). Nedelsky, Nadya, Defining the Sovereign Community: The Czech and Slovak Republics (University of Pennsylvania, 2009), 352 p. Rotfeld, Adam Daniel and Torkunov V. Anatoly, White Spots--Black Spots : Difficult Matters in Polish-Russian Relations, 1918–2008 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015). Rupnik, Jacques, "Surging Illiberalism in the East", in Journal of Democracy, Vol. 27, 4/2016, pp. 77–87. Vachudova, Milada Anna. Europe Undivided : Democracy, Leverage, and Integration after Communism, (Oxford University Press, 2005). Wolchik, Sharon L. and Curry, Leftwich Jane, eds., Central and East European Politics: From Communism to Democracy (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014), 550p. Poslední úprava: Němcová Tejkalová Alice, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (19.02.2023)
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The students are expected to discuss the issues based on required readings. Each of them will give a presentation on a selected issue (ca. 15 minutes) using MS Powerpoint (or similar tool). Each student will hand in an essay based on the presented issue by them (2500 words). Poslední úprava: Němcová Tejkalová Alice, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (19.02.2023)
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1) Central Europe – Defining The Area Now and Then · Conceptualizing Central Europe as a specific geographic, political, cultural or ethnic area, context of Germany and Austria and German cultural hegemony, issue of East and West, V4, introduction, setting requirements for presentations and essays.
2) We Are a Nation! The Process of Nation-building in Central Europe and the "German Question" · Nation as a key category of contemporary history of Central Europe, clash of Central European nations and German cultural/economic hegemony with regard to milestones 1918, 1945, 1989 and beyond.
3) Expulsion/forced resettlement of German Minorities from Central European Countries and the Politics of Memory: The Case of Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic · Expulsion and forced resettlement of Germans after 1945, cultural and socioeconomic price for the „nationalization“ of Central Europe, Politicization of Sudeten German issue and coming to terms with the past.
4) Central European Countries in the Communist Era: From Totalitarianism To Authoritarianism · Why „communism“ won in Central Europe, what did it mean for society, definition of key terms totalitarianism, authoritarian state etc., examples, dynamics of the development 1945–1989, the role of media/censorship, dissent.
5) 1989 and Beyond: Transformation of Central European Countries after the Fall of the Iron Curtain · Causes of the fall of communist regimes in Central (and Eastern) Europe, political, economic and social transformation of society, social consequences of revolutions in the area.
6) The "Velvet Revolution" and the "Velvet Divorce": The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia · Continuation of the preceding seminar. The case of Czechoslovakia, 1989, Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, causes of “velvet” dissolution of the country, political and economic development of both countries until 2004 – integration into EU and NATO.
7) Central European Countries and the EU: A Complicated Relationship · Political and economic development in the area since 2004, the issue of deeper integration into EU as a national interest, perception of the EU in society.
8) Migration Crisis and Central European Countries: United against the Rest? · Migration crisis since 2014 and a „collective“ refection to accept refugees and the quota system by the V4 countries, causes and consequences, differences within V4, role of Germany and Austria, discourse of migration crisis (refugees, immigrants etc.): the case of the Czech Republic.
9) Czech Republic: "The Babiš-Republic"? · Causes of the political rise of Andrej Babiš since 2011, role of the media, technology and management of power, populism, the end of liberalism in the Czech Republic?, evaluation of the „post-november“ development in the Czech Republic, causes of the successful comeback of Miloš Zeman and his two victories in direct presidential elections 2013 and 2018.
10) Hungary: The Illiberal State of Viktor Orbán · Analysis and interpretation of the speech by Viktor Orbán about illiberal democracy 29. 7. 2014 in the context of development in Hungary and Europe since 1989.
11) Slovakia: From a Rookie to an European Tiger? · Ambivalence of the political and economic development in Slovakia since 1993 (scandals, corruption, the case of "Gorilla", challenges to freedom of press, the murder of the journalist Ján Kuciak x decreasing unemployment rate, joining the Eurozone, rising living standards), limits to economic growth, populism of Robert Fico.
12) Poland: Politics in the shade of "Katyń" · Political and socioeconomic development in Poland since 1989, focus on the period after the Smolensk tragedy, case of national interests between Germany and Russia, Polish national populism of Jaroław Kaczyński, dismantling the liberal state.
13) Conclusion and Evaluation of the Course Poslední úprava: Němcová Tejkalová Alice, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (19.02.2023)
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