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This original study revisits the critical historical and cultural debates in Czech society immediately following World War II. Bradley F. Abrams discovers that communist public figures were largely successful in controlling the discourse over the nation's recent past_the interwar First Republic and the experiences of Munich and World War II_and over its location on the East-West continuum. This success was later mirrored in the struggles over socialism, the burning political issue of the time. The communists engaged their political foes in the democratic socialist and Roman Catholic camps, and, surprisingly, found significant support from a major Protestant church. The author's careful reading of major publications of the day vividly recreates a postwar mood sympathetic to radical social change, thus casting doubt on the standard view of the communists' rise to power. A rich contribution to our understanding of Czech history, this book also raises provocative questions about the relationship between war and radical social change, the communist takeover of the region, and the role of intellectuals in public life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A reappraisal of the appeal of communism in the Czech lands after WWII
This volume is part of the Harvard Cold War Studies series and is a valuable reappraisal of communist electoral strength in the Czech lands following World War II. The text is scholarly, heavily researched, well documented, and erudite. At times, a desire for completeness and detail conflict with readability but overall the text reads well.

While there will be those who will argue with Abrams premise, and while some will argue about the narrow focus on Czech (as opposed to Slovak) interests, this book provided a sensitive insight into the social and political complexities that followed the upheavals of World War II. The books three main sections (Czech intellectual context; reinterpretation of Czech history and the reorientation of the Czech nation; and the different meaning of socialism) are extensively addressed with interesting interweaving of ideas and motifs. The book is a solid, very informed read that leaves this reader, at least, considerably more aware of the political and social forces at work in this critical period of Czech (and Slovak) history. Abrams does an excellent job of engaging his reader's attention and suggesting complex questions rather than provide facile answers.

An excellent detailed study of the rise of communism within the matrix of ideas about Czech national identity and aspirations.

Fascinating, infuriating
The 1948 Communist seizure of power was the only time when Communism came to power in a country with strong democratic traditions.Previously, it has been the leading member of the democratically elected coalition government that had ruled the country since 1945.During the cold war, American and emigre scholars argued that this was a classic example of Communist subversion, of how it pretended to offer a democratic visage while plotting to install totalitarian government.As time went on, some scholars were skeptical of this, wondering whether if it had not been for the cold war the coalition government might have been continued.Bradley Abrams seeks to look at this period again in a new book, whose focus is fascinating and infuriating.Abrams' argument is that a key reason why the Communists were successful in 1948 was because they were able to construct intellectual debate in such a way as to give them a decisive advantage.Although Abrams doesn't use this term, the CPC had a hegemony in Czech political life.Partly this was the result of the shock of Munich, which ruined the image of the West in Czech eyes, as well as the Nazi occupation.But by looking at such issues as the widespread socialist consensus, the need for a new national consciousness, the generation of 1945, and the reputation of the first republic, we can see the Communist advantage in one arena of debate after another.Abrams looks at three groups:the "democratic socialists" who ended up accepting too many of the Communists' premises, the Czech Protestants, who enthusiastically endorsed more of them, and the Czech Catholics, who were properly skeptical and reasonable, but who were too weak to have sufficient influence.Abrams is useful in providing a good comparative account of Eastern Europe, both in its war experiences, as well as the strength of local Communist parties, based on the latest research.Nor were the CPC's claims for a moderate, parliamentary road to socialism mere subterfuge, though obviously they were not sincere enough.There is one particularly useful passage about 1948 Czech opinion.For many years people thought independent opinion polls showed that Communist support was falling noticeably from the 38% it won in 1948, and that is why the carried out the Prague coup.But Abrams notes that the Communist polls suggested they would win a majority in 1948, while other scholars suggest that their support was stable.In general, Abrams provides new detail and information about the 1945-1948 period.



But there are less satisfactory aspects of the book.For a start, this book almost entirely deals with the CZECH experience.There is much less said about the Slovak experience.There is little said about the Czech experience of collaboration, either as a theme of intellectual debate or in retrospective scholarship.Nor is there any discussion of the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia.It is noteworthy that in his approval of Catholic criticisms of socialism, that Abrams does not really discuss Tiso, the Slovakian Quisling who happened to be a priest, and whose political party relied on Catholic mobilization for its political success.(It also makes one Protestant's crude denunciation of Catholicism as a "fascist religion" slightly more reasonable).One serious problem is that his discussion of "democratic socialists" lumps in both the right of the Social Democratic party and the National Socialists.The latter party, which incidentally had nothing to do with the Nazis, is glibly described as socialist.It certainly was not a socialist party in the first republic it dominated, where Abrams himself notes that the state sector was smaller than in most other Eastern European countries.And this leads to the real problem with Abrams' book.It has a top-down approach, with everything concentrating on intellectual discussion.We only get brief mentions of who supported the political parties, and even less on why people supported them or how the parties worked on a local and grassroots basis.Aside from a few opinion polls, we get little sense of what people actually thought about politics.In summary, Abrams' account follows contemporary Czech opinion which castigates the democratic opposition for not posing a more vigorous resistance.But it strikes me as unfair for criticizing Benes for lacking the heroism of a Havel.Havel, after all, was risking only his own life, as well as inconveniencing a few friends, while Benes faced the risk of civil war with little likelihood he could win, and less practical assistance from the United States.Moreover, the focus of intellectual discourse and the lack of focus of public opinion makes it difficult to judge the non-communist's strategy.If Communist support was declining, then the non-communists' tactful attitude was working.But even if the CPC was not declining, Abrams' account conflates intellectual matters with strategic and tactical ones.A more thorough account is needed to be really satisfactory. ... Read more

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On the demand side, exporters and strategic planners focusing on human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts in Slovakia face a number of questions. Which countries are supplying human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts to Slovakia? How important is Slovakia compared to others in terms of the entire global and regional market? How much do the imports of human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts vary from one country of origin to another in Slovakia? On the supply side, Slovakia also exports human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts. Which countries receive the most exports from Slovakia? How are these exports concentrated across buyers? What is the value of these exports and which countries are the largest buyers?

This report was created for strategic planners, international marketing executives and import/export managers who are concerned with the market for human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts in Slovakia. With the globalization of this market, managers can no longer be contented with a local view. Nor can managers be contented with out-of-date statistics which appear several years after the fact. I have developed a methodology, based on macroeconomic and trade models, to estimate the market for human blood, prepared animal blood, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms, and similar products excluding yeasts for those countries serving Slovakia via exports, or supplying from Slovakia via imports. It does so for the current year based on a variety of key historical indicators and econometric models.

In what follows, Chapter 2 begins by summarizing where Slovakia fits into the world ... Read more

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The study provides a closer look on the experience and meaning of parenthood among urban middle-class couples presently engaged in parenting. The author adresses the specific aspects of parenthood after socialism like the emergence of stay-at-home wifes and the increased involvement of fathers. Further, the author also elaborates on the main theories in the field of psychology that guide the conduct of parenthood and that are referred to in the interviews. Regarding the meaning of parenthood the results of the present study are consistent with previous research. Being a parent means something fundamentally different for women and men, which is demonstrated with the diverse levels of responsibility that women and men take for their children. The findings in the field ofexperience capture further differences. It is not always women who are eager to become mothers, rather on the contrary and at the same time, the parenting experience seems to be more positive for fathers than for mothers. Overall, this study represents an argument for a change in the way society and its structures influence the experience of parenthood. ... Read more

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This book examines forms of discursive resistance to joining theEuropean Union on a part of political elites from East Central Europe.Based on an analysis of party manifestos from 1990-2003 and 60in-depth interviews with Czech and Slovak parliamentarians in2000, the study provides a comprehensive consideration of themost heated issues during the years leading up to EU accession andreveals major shifts in the quality and directions of debate aboutEuropean integration. Among the study?s findings isthatoppositional stances in post-communist countries mobilising to jointhe EU were different from anti-European positions in existingmember states.In countries that were seeking to "return to Europe" after decades of totalitarian repression, political "euroscepticism" isinterwoven with strands of ambiguity as to the prospects of whatintegration in this new, market-based "world order" might mean forsmall nations on the European periphery, as well as sometimesopportunistic manipulation of the public?s fears of losing nationalidentity and sovereignty. ... Read more

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The book is looking at the problem of maintaining minority media institutions in a culturally, politically and linguistically diverse society, under changing political, economic and social circumstances. It examines two different dimensions of minority media institutions. The first deals with how state policy, minority rights and autonomy relate to the position of minority media institutions, while the second is looking at how minority media regarding its goals and financing - can be positioned within the framework definition of public service and marked-oriented media.In this book, the reader can find answers to the following questions.1) Why is the fate of minority media institutions closely interconnected with the implementation of minority rights standards and the degree of self-governance the minority enjoys in Serbia and Montenegro? 2) Why was the status of minority media institutions settled by a political decision in Vojvodina?3) Why is minority media in an ambivalent position when it comes to the definition of its status as a public service or market oriented institution/company? ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! TheCinema of Slovakia encompasses a range of themesand styles typical of European cinema. Yet there area certain number of recurring themes that arevisible in the majority of the important works.These include rural settings, folk traditions, andcarnival. Even in the field of experimental film- making, there is frequently a celebration of natureand tradition, as for example in Dušan Hanák'sPictures of the Old World (Obrazy starého sveta,1972). The same applies to blockbusters like JurajJakubisko's A Thousand-Year Old Bee (Tisícročnávčela, 1983). The percentage of comedies,adventures, musicals, sci-fi films and similargenres has been low by comparison to dramas andhistorical films that used to include a notablesubset of social commentaries on events from thedecade or two preceding the film. One of them, JánKadár's and Elmar Klos's The Shop on Main Street(Obchod na korze, 1965),gave Slovak (as well asCzech and generally Czechoslovak) filmmaking itsfirst Oscar. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3342 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Intended to provide a comprehensive description of the enterprise of education both within the United States and throughout the world. Articles offer a view of the institutions, people, processes, and products found in educational practice. ... Read more

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Introduces the history, geography, and culture of Slovakia through the daily lives of children who live there. ... Read more

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The essays in this volume reflect the broader interpretation of culture as a system of shared meanings, values, attitudes and symbolic forms in any sphere of human life. Although thematically diverse, all these studies adhere to the concept of what is sometimes termed the new cultural history or socio-cultural history. The work opens with a cluster of methodological and historiographical reflections. Topics covered by the thematic sections include confessional and religious life in early modern Europe, symbolism and representation, strife and accommodation among different denominations compelled to live in a common space, order and hierarchy, cracks in the machinery of authority and the threat of disintegration as well as the history of alphabetization, literacy and reading and writing practices. This book pays tribute to Istvan Gyorgy Toth (1956-2005), Head of the Department of Early-Modern History at the Institute of History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Professor of History at Central European University (both in Budapest), until his premature death in 2005. ... Read more

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Located at the very center of Europe, Prague has been on the frontline of international political, intellectual, religious, and cultural conflicts for more than six centuries. Invaded and occupied by the Habsburgs, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Nazis, and then Communist Russia, the city s identity is shaped by a long experience of foreign domination and a strong sense of martyrdom.

A treasure house of Gothic, baroque, and modernist architecture, Prague is also a city of icons and symbols: statues, saints and signs reveal a turbulent history of religious and cultural conflict. As Kafka s nightmare city and home of the Good Soldier _vejk, the Czech capital also produced two of the twentieth century s emblematic writers. Richard Burton explores this metropolis of theatrical allusion, in which politics and drama have always been intertwined. His interpretation of the city s cultural past and present encompasses opera and rock music, puppetry and cinema, surrealism and socialist realism. Looking at Prague s world-famous landmarks and lesser-known sites, his reading of the city through its writing and iconography is both perceptive and challenging.

* THE CITY OF ARTISTS AND WRITERS: The Castle and Kafka, Ha_ek and Kundera; music from Smetana to the Plastic People of the Universe; modernism and cubism; political theater and the playwright-president Václav Havel.

* THE CITY OF TYRANNY AND RESISTANCE: Jan Hus and anti-Catholic revolt; subjugation and the rise of Czech nationalism; Germans, Czechs and Jews; "Prague Spring" 1968, Charter 77 and the "Velvet Revolution" of November 1989.

* THE CITY OF MAGIC, MURDER, AND MYTH: Medieval alchemy and astrology; the myth of the Golem, the ghetto and anti-Semitism; living puppets, robots, and a tradition of defenestration. ... Read more

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Excellent book for the first-time visitor or resident or anyone between.
Excellent, well-written book about one of the great cities of the world.Orderly, logical structure for the first-time visitor as well as for those who visit Prague often or live there.Not only a good writer but an accurate, non-revisionist historian.A pleasure to read and to share with others. ... Read more

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Gender, especially masculinity, is a perspective rarely applied in discourses on cinema of Eastern/Central Europe. Larks on a String exposes an English-speaking audience to a large proportion of this region s cinema that previously remained unknown, focusing on the relationship between representation of masculinity and nationality in the films of two and later three countries: Poland, Czechoslovakia/the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The objective of the book is to discuss the main types of men populating Polish, Czech and Slovak films: that of soldier, father, heterosexual and homosexual lover, against a rich political, social and cultural background. Czech, Slovak and Polish cinema appear to provide excellent material for comparison as they were produced in neighbouring countries which for over forty years endured a similar political system state socialism. ... Read more

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This book systematically examines an animal bone assemblage in order to ascertain its spatial patterning. The study was first undertaken to discover the likely animal actors responsible for any horizontal spatial patterning. There is much data to support the long-held notion that the cave was a hibernation den for bears. In this study, the author provides fresh insight by arguing that there is powerful evidence that these bear carcasses had been scavenged by wolves and hyenas. He also argues that animals can create spatial patterns in the absence of culture or modern human cognitive abilities. Gargett suggests that an effort must be made to identify distinctive spatial patterns that result from human cognitive processes, such as language and culture. Only then, he argues, will spatial analysis achieve its potential as a means to help resolve questions about the origins of modern humans. This book will appeal to Paleolithic archaeologists and Paleoanthropologists. Its analyses will interest vertebrate paleontologists and paleobiologists as well. ... Read more

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English summary: The aim of this book is to identify the role of the EU in the consolidation of democracy in Slovakia during the 1990s. The first chapter explores the concept of Europe in Slovak politics. In Slovakia, Europe was used as a rhetorical tool by all political forces. The relationship between Slovakia and the EU institutions and member states is analyzed in the second chapter. Inside the EU, there initially was much insecurity about the development of Slovakia. But the disastrous results in terms of democracy and rule of law of the Meciar government made the decision of 1997 not to start the accession negotiations largely uncontroversial. The last chapter deals with the EU's part in Slovakia's democratic consolidation. EU integration was a hotly discussed topic in the run-up of the 1998's parliamentary elections. Slovakia's failing in the integration process fueled growing concerns that Slovakia might not be able to catch up with the West. Among the used sources are documents from the diplomatic archive of the Slovak ministry of foreign affairs and the author's own interviews with some of the involved persons. The author argues that the EU, thanks to its huge prestige in Slovakia, helped significantly to get rid of the authoritarian tendencies. German text. German description: Fur die neuen Demokratien Ostmitteleuropas stellte Europa, verkorpert durch die Europaische Union, einen massgeblichen normativen Bezugspunkt in den Wirren der Transformation dar. Im Fall der Slowakei wirkte die EU in den 1990er-Jahren sogar als wichtigste externe Instanz, welche die gefahrdete Demokratie zu bewahren half. Der slowakische Diskurs uber Europa und die europaischen Werte bot den geeigneten Boden, damit das Engagement der EU-Institutionen Wirkungen entfalten konnte. Ausgehend von erstmalig ausgewerteten diplomatischen Quellen zeigt dieses Buch, wie intensiv und teilweise widerspruchlich die Versuche der europaischen Institutionen zur Beeinflussung des politischen Prozesses in der Slowakei waren. Heftige Polemik unter den slowakischen politischen Eliten, denen Europa als Legitimationsressource diente, war die Folge. Gleichzeitig fand eine Klarung statt, welche Mittel im politischen Prozess erlaubt waren und wo die Schwelle zum Autoritarismus lag. Hier wird die These vertreten, dass der beinahe einhellige Wunsch der slowakischen Burger nach Zugehorigkeit zu Westeuropa in Verbindung mit der Einmischung der EU die Demokratie in der Slowakei rettete. ... Read more