USESED053 Central European Society after 1945: Problems and Prospects

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Winter 2018
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Dušan Janák, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Dušan Janák, Ph.D.
Institute of Central European Studies – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
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
Course objectives
The course strives to outline the fundamental issues which have formed the society in the area of Central Europe from the end of the Second World War till present day. It leads to comprehension of selected processes and phenomena in the field of politics, economy and social field, their mutual links and diffusion of the historical contingency of the current development. Therefore, it is divided into four thematic units dedicated to analysis and comparison of transformations of the Central European area from the point of view of constitutional arrangement and international relations, political regimes, proprietary relations and character of the economics as well as consequences of various forms of prosecutions against the population. For this reason, it follows the historical-political science unit from the bachelor´s level of the CES and it widens the knowledge of central European facts, when the emphasis is put on explanation of relations determining the character of conflicts and the options of cooperation of the communities living in the Central Europe.
Syllabus
  • 1. Fundamental concepts and approaches to the phenomenon of Central Europe
    2. Central Europe after 1945: national states and power interests
    3. Limited sovereignty: origins, development and means of control over the Soviet bloc
    4. Back to Europe: integration processes and formations in the Central European area after the decline of communism
    5. From hybrid democracies to totalitarian regimes (1944-1953)
    6. Destalinization and establishment of post-totalitarian regimes in Central Europe (1953-1960/70)
    7. Ambitions and doubts of the central European communist regimes (1971-1989)
    8. Pitfalls of transition: decline of communism and new democratic regimes in Central Europe after 1989
    9. Economics: from nationalization to privatization
    10. Post-war retaliation: retributions, ethnic cleansing and excisions
    11. Repressions and persecutions of communist regimes
    12. Rehabilitation and reparations of the victims of totalitarian regimes
Literature
    required literature
  • KUKLÍK, J. Znárodněné Československo. Od znárodnění k privatizaci - státní zásahy do vlastnických a dalších majetkových práv v Československu a jinde v Evropě. Praha: Auditorium, 2010. info
  • CABADA, Ladislav a kol. Komparace politických systémů III. Nové demokracie střední a východní Evropy. Praha, VŠE, 2008. info
  • JUDT, T. Poválečná Evropa. Dějiny od roku 1945. Praha: Slovart, 2008. ISBN 978-80-7391-025-9. info
  • VYKOUKAL, J., LITERA, B. a TEICHMAN, M. Východ. Vznik, vývoj a rozpad sovětského bloku 1944-1989. Praha: Libri, 2000. ISBN 80-85983-82-6. info
    recommended literature
  • Pro některá témata není dostupná literatura, bude odpřednášeno. info
  • BORÁK, M. Odškodňování obětí politických represí. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, fakulta veřej, 2012. URL info
  • KABELE, J. Z kapitalismu do socialismu a zpět. Praha: Karolinum, 2005. info
  • Wandycz, P. S. Střední Evropa v dějinách od středověku do současnosti. Cena svobody. Praha, 2000. info
  • BORÁK, M. Spravedlnost podle dekretu. Retribuční soudnictví v ČSR a Mimořádný lidový soud v Ostravě (1945-1948). Ostrava: Nakladatelství Tilia pro Moravskoslezsk, 1998. 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
The subject of the exam comprises the assigned literature, content of lectures and partial study materials assigned for individual topics (material and case studies, web materials etc.). The exam consists of two parts: the first one is constituted by minimally 10 closed questions with four answer options, from which only one can be correct, or more or none; the second part comprises the analytic-synthetic or comparative essay. The prerequisite of passing the exam is the knowledge of assigned literature and lectures.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2016, Winter 2017.
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