FVP:USESEA037 Political Parties and Party Sy - Course Information

USESEA037 Political Parties and Party Systems in Central Europe in the 20th Century

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Lukáš Vomlela, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Lukáš Vomlela, Ph.D.
Institute of Central European Studies – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava

Prerequisites

Expert Knowledge:
Students demonstrate the knowledge of historical development in Central Europe in the 20th century; they are able to define the main political schools that played the key role in the development of Central Europe in the 20th century; they are able to describe the main development tendencies in a given region from the end of the WWI up to the disintegration of the Soviet power block at the end of 1980s; and they are able to characterize the role of political parties and party systems in this development.
Expert Knowledge:
Students are able to explain the mutual correlation and changeability of covered social phenomena in the states of Central Europe. They are able to look up and sort out relevant information in literature, archive and electronic sources, and to write an academic paper on the basis of defined methodological, formal and content criteria.
General Competency:
The graduates of the subject will be able to apply the acquired expert knowledge in their specialized and pedagogical work, but also in their public performance and in their work in media. They will be equipped to act professionally in public.

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Central European Studies (programme FVP, N6702-MTS)

Course objectives

The aim of the subject is to familiarize the listeners with the process of formation, development and history of political parties and party systems in Central Europe in the 20th century. The subject will present the programmes and ideologies of the most important ones of them. It describes the operation of political parties and party systems in the states of Central Europe in the 20th century. The greatest attention will be paid to the mechanism of the parties´ influence on the politics of particular states, the growth of their influence and its disintegration, as well as the circumstances of this development. Students will be explained the weakness of democratic political parties in 1920s and 1930s, which enabled the rise of totalitarian and authoritative regimes, and will feature the rise of communist regimes in Central Europe after the World War II and during the Cold War. The attention will be also paid to the disintegration of theSoviet power block in this area and the efforts to build up new political parties and the party systems after 1989. On the completion of the course, students will have a good general ideal of the political development of the states of Central Europe in the 20th century, and they will understand how it became possible that totalitarian ideologie of a fascist, Nazzi and communist types were able to prevail in the environment with such a long democratic tradition.

Syllabus

• 1. Contemporary historical research on modern political parties.
  2. The Czech tradition of political party membership.
  3. The formation of political parties and political systems in the states of Central Europe after the World War I.
  4. The main political forces in Czechoslovakia in the years 1918-1938.
  5. The rise of German Nazism, the activity of the NSDAP and the role of A. Hitler.
  6. Authoritative political parties and regimes in Central Europe - the examples of Austria, Poland and Hungary.
  7. Communism in Central Europe in the inter-war period.
  8. Political party membership and the WWII on the example of Czechoslovakia.
  9. Political parties and the systém of national and patriotic fronts in Central Europe after the WWII.
  10. Communist parties and regimes in Central Europe after 1945.
  11. The fortunes of democratic parties in Central Europe in the era of communist governments.
  12. The trends in development of political parties and party systems in Central Europe after 1989.
  

Literature

required literature
• NOWAK, A. a RUCZAJ, M. (eds). Impérium a ti druzí: Rusko, Polsko a moderní dějiny východní Evropy. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury (, 2010. ISBN 978-80-7325-222-9. info
• HLOUŠEK, V. a KOPEČEK, L. Politické strany. Původ, ideologie a transformace politických stran v západní a střední Evropě. Praha: Grada, 2010. ISBN 978-80-247-3192-6. info
• HLOUŠEK, V. Konflikt versus konsensus. Konfliktní linie, stranické systémy a politické strany v Rakousku 1860-2006. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, Mezinárodní politol, 2008. ISBN 978-80-210-4484-5. info
• MALÍŘ, J. a MAREK, P. a kol. Politické strany a hnutí v českých zemích a v Československu 1861-2004. I. a II. Brno: Doplněk, 2005. ISBN 80-7239-180-1, 80. info
• BROKLOVÁ, E. Československá demokracie. Politický systém 1918-1938. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství (SLON), 1992. ISBN 80-901059-6-3. info

recommended literature
• KŘEN, J. Dvě století střední Evropy. Praha: Argo, 2005. ISBN 80-7203-612-2. info
• STRMISKA, M. a kol. Politické strany moderní Evropy: analýza stranicko-politických systémů. Praha: Portál, 2005. ISBN 80-7367-038-0. info
• DAVIES, N. a VALENTA, A. Polsko: dějiny národa ve středu Evropy. Praha: Prostor, 2003. ISBN 80-7260-083-4. info
• KONTLER, L. Dějiny Maďarska. Praha: NLN, Nakladatelství Lidové noviny, 2001. ISBN 80-7106-405-X. info
• VYKOUKAL, J., TEJCHMAN, M. a LITERA, B. Východ: vznik, vývoj a rozpad sovětského bloku 1944-1989. Praha: Libri, 2000. ISBN 80-85983-82-6. info
• FIALA, P. a kol. Komunismus v České republice: vývojové, systémové a ideové aspekty působení KSČM a dalších komunistických organizací v české politice. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1999. ISBN 80-210-2249-3. info

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

The course can also be completed outside the examination period.

Teacher's information

Credit requirements: written essay on a selected topic or an issue with using the minimum of five sources.

• Enrolment Statistics (Winter 2015, recent)
  
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