Communist Czechoslovakia, 1945-89
A Political and Social History
Seiten
2015
Bloomsbury Academic (Verlag)
978-0-230-21715-7 (ISBN)
Bloomsbury Academic (Verlag)
978-0-230-21715-7 (ISBN)
This concise history gives an account of the political, cultural and social trends in Czechoslovakia from 1945 to 1989. With a focus on ordinary citizens, it is an essential contribution to the modern history of a country that is sure to play a key role in the 'new Europe'.
Few Europeans in the twentieth century have been subject to the repeated buffetings by foreign powers, ideologically driven transformations and internal upheaval of the Czechs and the Slovaks. The period of Communist rule was complex, and those who gleefully overthrew the regime in 1989 were the very grandchildren of those who had voted for Communism with hope in the free elections of 1946.
This concise account includes both political and social history, analysing half a century of Communism from at all strata of society. Kevin McDermott is equally intrigued by those in power and ordinary citizens, asking what motivates a young Czech worker-believer to join the Communist Party in the early 1950s, enrol in the People's Militia and remain in the party during the dark years of 'normalisation', yet end up welcoming the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Using Czech and Slovak archival sources and the most recent historiography, McDermott challenges the still dominant 'totalitarian' paradigm and argues that the forty year communist experience in Czechoslovakia cannot simply be dismissed as a Soviet-imposed aberration.
Few Europeans in the twentieth century have been subject to the repeated buffetings by foreign powers, ideologically driven transformations and internal upheaval of the Czechs and the Slovaks. The period of Communist rule was complex, and those who gleefully overthrew the regime in 1989 were the very grandchildren of those who had voted for Communism with hope in the free elections of 1946.
This concise account includes both political and social history, analysing half a century of Communism from at all strata of society. Kevin McDermott is equally intrigued by those in power and ordinary citizens, asking what motivates a young Czech worker-believer to join the Communist Party in the early 1950s, enrol in the People's Militia and remain in the party during the dark years of 'normalisation', yet end up welcoming the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Using Czech and Slovak archival sources and the most recent historiography, McDermott challenges the still dominant 'totalitarian' paradigm and argues that the forty year communist experience in Czechoslovakia cannot simply be dismissed as a Soviet-imposed aberration.
Kevin McDermott is Senior Lecturer in Political History at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms
Glossary of Leading Figures
Presidents of the Czechoslovak Republic, 1945-89
Timeline 1945-89
A Note on Czech Pronunciation
Introduction: Communist Czechoslovakia in Historical Perspective
1. Communism on the Road to Power, 1945-482
Stalinism Reigns, 1948-533
Social Crisis and the Limits of Reform, 1953-674
Czechoslovak Spring, 1968-695
Everyday Normalisation, 1969-886
1989: The Demise of Communism
Conclusion: Into the Dustbin of History?
Notes
Bibliography
Index.
| Reihe/Serie | European History in Perspective | European History in Perspective |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | London |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 155 x 235 mm |
| Themenwelt | Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Zeitgeschichte |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte | |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Allgemeines / Lexika | |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Politische Theorie | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-230-21715-X / 023021715X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-230-21715-7 / 9780230217157 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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