The objective of this course is to help students to better understand the recent political history of Central Europe and the
ideal resources which can contribute to its success in the post-Communist transformation. Students will learn about the
political systems that existed in the region before 1989, and will get familiar with the various ways in which the predicament
of these countries was reflected upon in the thought of the most prominent political theorists. They will be invited to search
Central Europe of the 20th century and its unique historical experience for ideas that shaped and articulated an
understanding of politics that might be viewed as the specifically Central European solution to political problems faced by
many societies across the world. A particular emphasis will be accorded to the concept of civil society which arguably
occupied a privileged place in the political imagination of Central European intellectuals. Students will also learn about the
post-1989 political developments in Central Europe and about the challenges faced by the new democracies in the region.
Poslední úprava: BLACKMAMBA (31.08.2010)
The objective of this course is to help students to better understand the recent political history of Central Europe and the
ideal resources which can contribute to its success in the post-Communist transformation. Students will learn about the
political systems that existed in the region before 1989, and will get familiar with the various ways in which the predicament
of these countries was reflected upon in the thought of the most prominent political theorists. They will be invited to search
Central Europe of the 20th century and its unique historical experience for ideas that shaped and articulated an
understanding of politics that might be viewed as the specifically Central European solution to political problems faced by
many societies across the world. A particular emphasis will be accorded to the concept of civil society which arguably
occupied a privileged place in the political imagination of Central European intellectuals. Students will also learn about the
post-1989 political developments in Central Europe and about the challenges faced by the new democracies in the region.
Sylabus -
Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Marek Skovajsa, M.A., Ph.D. (30.09.2008)
Syllabus is available on the Cerge-EI web page as follows:
http://www.cerge-ei.cz/abroad/courses/ under Electives.
Syllabus can be viewed by clicking the course title there.
Current syllabus is also available here as a separate file.
The course will start with two introductory weeks which will
provide a short overview of Czech(oslovak) political history leading to the
ascent to power of the Communist party. In the subsequent sessions, the topics
discussed include the essential traits of the communist regimes in Central
Europe during the first twenty years (1948-1968), the communist reform movement
of the 1960’s and its culmination in the Prague Spring of 1968, the
confrontation between the regime and the citizenry in the three Central
European countries in the period 1969-1989, and the most relevant contributions
of the anti-communist opposition to contemporary political thinking: the ideas
of the Polish opposition activist Adam Michnik, the Hungarian independent
intellectuals Gyorgy Konrád and Iván Szelényi, and the Czech philosopher Jan
Patočka and playwright Václav Havel.
In the second part of the course we will advance well beyond
the so-called Velvet Revolutions and deal with some of the most pressing
problems of the newly emerging democracies, such as the psychological legacy of
communism, the distortions of the liberal discourse in post-communist political
debates, the issue of nationalism (as exemplified in the peaceful division of
Czechoslovakia in 1992), and, above all, the idea and reality of civil society, a notion that emerged as
central in the thought of the dissident and other intellectuals in the region
and has remained influential till the present day.
In this course lectures will be combined with discussions, commented
readings from essential texts and student presentations. More direct contact
with the past will be provided through excursions to places of relevance for
our topic and through historical documents (musical recordings, photos, films).
Topics:
1) Introduction. Overview of the class. Course requirements. Presentations. Introductory lecture and discussion: The meaning of communism today. Post-communist condition. The notion and history of the concept civil society.
2) Historical prelude: First Czechoslovak Republic. The last decades of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy; the birth, development and fall of the First Czechoslovak Republic; personality of Th. G. Masaryk; Nazi occupation and the so-called Protectorate.
3) Communism in Eastern Europe and Czechoslovakia from 1945 to 1960s. A short outline of the main tenets of Marxism. Spread of communism in Eastern Europe. Czechoslovakia: the popular democracy 1945-1948, Stalinist and post-Stalinist 1950's. Communism as a totalitarianism. The worldview and practices of the communist power holders. Forces opposed to communism - civic resistance, church, exile.
4) The events and ideas of the year 1968 in Czechoslovakia. An attempt at a socialist reform that failed. Political, economic and social transformations in Czechoslovak society. Role of the cultural sphere and intellectuals. Soviet occupation in August 1968.
5) Normalization period 1969 - 1989 I. Political consequences of the repression of Prague Spring: return of party control over all aspects of social life, political purges, persecution of dissidents in the 1970's and 1980's.
6) Normalization period 1969 - 1989 II. The formation of an independent civil society: human rights movements, Charter 77, so-called civic initiatives in the 1980's. The concept of a parallel polis.
7) Everyday life under really existing socialism.New social contract, ways of adapting to political oppression, escape into the private sphere, civic apathy.
8) The concept of civil society. What is civil society? What role did the concept play in the dissident thought? Its relevance after 1989.
9) Dissident civil societies as an idea and as reality in Central Europe. Milan Kunderas views on Central Europe. Short history of anti-communist movements in East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia. Polish Solidarity. Goulash socialism in Hungary.
10) Velvet Revolution of 1989 and the post-communist condition. The events preceding the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia. What happened in November 1989? The first steps of a newly free nation: developments since the fall of communism to the first free elections.
11) Politics in Post-Communist Czechoslovakia /Czech republic 1990-2003 I. Political parties, elections, governments. The break-up of Czechoslovakia Liberalism or something else? The theory and practice of post-communist liberalism. Czech privatization as a political process. Privatization scandals.
12) Politics in Post-Communist Czechoslovakia /Czech republic 1990-2003 II. The post-communist agenda: screenings, attitudes to communism, restitutions. Philosopher or King?: Former Dissident the Head of the State. Václav Havels new role as the Czechoslovak and Czech president. Havels views on international relations and global issues.
Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Marek Skovajsa, M.A., Ph.D. (30.09.2008)
Syllabus is available on the Cerge-EI web page as follows:
http://www.cerge-ei.cz/abroad/courses/ under Electives.
Syllabus can be viewed by clicking the course title there.
Current syllabus is also available here as a separate file.
The course will start with two introductory weeks which will
provide a short overview of Czech(oslovak) political history leading to the
ascent to power of the Communist party. In the subsequent sessions, the topics
discussed include the essential traits of the communist regimes in Central
Europe during the first twenty years (1948-1968), the communist reform movement
of the 1960’s and its culmination in the Prague Spring of 1968, the
confrontation between the regime and the citizenry in the three Central
European countries in the period 1969-1989, and the most relevant contributions
of the anti-communist opposition to contemporary political thinking: the ideas
of the Polish opposition activist Adam Michnik, the Hungarian independent
intellectuals Gyorgy Konrád and Iván Szelényi, and the Czech philosopher Jan
Patočka and playwright Václav Havel.
In the second part of the course we will advance well beyond
the so-called Velvet Revolutions and deal with some of the most pressing
problems of the newly emerging democracies, such as the psychological legacy of
communism, the distortions of the liberal discourse in post-communist political
debates, the issue of nationalism (as exemplified in the peaceful division of
Czechoslovakia in 1992), and, above all, the idea and reality of civil society, a notion that emerged as
central in the thought of the dissident and other intellectuals in the region
and has remained influential till the present day.
In this course lectures will be combined with discussions, commented
readings from essential texts and student presentations. More direct contact
with the past will be provided through excursions to places of relevance for
our topic and through historical documents (musical recordings, photos, films).
Topics:
1) Introduction. Overview of the class. Course requirements.
Presentations. Introductory lecture and discussion: The meaning of
communism today. Post-communist condition. The notion and history of
the concept civil society.
2) Historical prelude: First Czechoslovak Republic. The last decades of
the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy; the birth, development and fall of the
First Czechoslovak Republic; personality of Th. G. Masaryk; Nazi
occupation and the so-called Protectorate.
3) Communism in Eastern Europe and Czechoslovakia from 1945 to 1960s. A
short outline of the main tenets of Marxism. Spread of communism in
Eastern Europe. Czechoslovakia: the popular democracy 1945-1948,
Stalinist and post-Stalinist 1950's. Communism as a totalitarianism.
The worldview and practices of the communist power holders. Forces
opposed to communism - civic resistance, church, exile.
4) The events and ideas of the year 1968 in Czechoslovakia. An attempt
at a socialist reform that failed. Political, economic and social
transformations in Czechoslovak society. Role of the cultural sphere
and intellectuals. Soviet occupation in August 1968.
5) Normalization period 1969 - 1989 I. Political consequences of the
repression of Prague Spring: return of party control over all aspects
of social life, political purges, persecution of dissidents in the
1970's and 1980's.
6) Normalization period 1969 - 1989 II. The formation of an independent
civil society: human rights movements, Charter 77, so-called civic
initiatives in the 1980's. The concept of a parallel polis.
7) Everyday life under really existing socialism.New social contract,
ways of adapting to political oppression, escape into the private
sphere, civic apathy.
8) The concept of civil society. What is civil society? What role did
the concept play in the dissident thought? Its relevance after 1989.
9) Dissident civil societies as an idea and as reality in Central
Europe. Milan Kunderas views on Central Europe. Short history of
anti-communist movements in East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia.
Polish Solidarity. Goulash socialism in Hungary.
10) Velvet Revolution of 1989 and the post-communist condition. The
events preceding the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia. What
happened in November 1989? The first steps of a newly free nation:
developments since the fall of communism to the first free elections.
11) Politics in Post-Communist Czechoslovakia /Czech republic 1990-2003
I. Political parties, elections, governments. The break-up of
Czechoslovakia Liberalism or something else? The theory and practice of
post-communist liberalism. Czech privatization as a political process.
Privatization scandals.
12) Politics in Post-Communist Czechoslovakia /Czech republic 1990-2003
II. The post-communist agenda: screenings, attitudes to communism,
restitutions. Philosopher or King?: Former Dissident the Head of the
State. Václav Havels new role as the Czechoslovak and Czech president.
Havels views on international relations and global issues.
Vstupní požadavky -
Poslední úprava: Mgr. Eliška Rolfová (19.11.2009)
Program UPCES je semestrální výukový program připravený společně pro studenty amerických univerzit a studenty FHS UK (včetně Erasmus studentů). Program je společným projektem FHS UK a Cerge-EI a výuku zajišťují přednášející z FHS UK i Cerge-EI. Americkým studentům je tento program nabízen jako celek, studenti FHS UK mají možnost zapsat si jednotlivé kurzy z nabídky pro daný semestr a aktivně se zapojit do doprovodných akcí a exkurzí. Kalendář akcí je k dispozici na http://www.cerge-ei.cz/abroad/calendar/
Podrobné informace o exkurzích a doprovodných akcích budou zapsaným studentům rozesílány prostřednictvím e-mailu.
UPOZORNĚNÍ: Kurzy programu UPCES mají zkrácenou dobu registrace, tj. do 19. 2. 2010. Aby byli studenti do kurzu zapsáni, musí se zúčastnit první hodiny. Studenti mají povolenu jen jednu absenci za semestr.
Studenti mají povinnost opatřit si k jednotlivým kurzům předepsané READING MATERIALS, s nimiž se pravidelně pracuje při výuce, a které jsou nezbytné pro soustavnou domácí přípravu. Tyto materiály jsou k dispozici on-line (http://www.cerge-ei.cz/upces_data/) a v tištěné podobě v knihovnách v Jinonicích (studovna přes ulici) a Cerge-EI.
Poslední úprava: Mgr. Magdaléna Hromková (08.10.2009)
Students have to be present on first lecture in order to be enrol into the course. Students might miss only one lecture per semester.
