Sylabus
Course Schedule by weeks
1. Basic introduction to the Czech political system - discussion, comparison of the Czech and US models Emergence of modern Czech state The evolution of the political system of the Czech Lands between 1848 - 1918 Principles of Czech state formation Implications for contemporary Czech politics
2. Spirit of Democracy - The First Republic Institutions of representation and content scheme of the system evolution of modern political ideologies - impact on system of political parties economical development, social structure
3. The first experience with totalitarianism - The Second Republic and the Second World War failure of democratic principles Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia domestic and exile resistance, political programs of domestic and exile politicians
4. Looking for the third way in politics - The Postwar (political and economical) settlement between 1945-1948 limited democracy parliamentary elections in 1946 communists coup
5. The second experience with totalitarianism - Political system between 1948 - 1989 Institutions of representation restricted political participation system of social and economical centralization internal opposition and resistance against communist regime
6. Towards to the new regime - Breakdown of communist regime, political and institutional framework reforms between 1989-92 transitional democracy - new constitutional principles establishment of democratic political institutions of representation emerging of political parties economical transformation
7. Peaceful divorce - Splitting of the Czechoslovak federal state Basic democratic values of the Czech Republic constitutional and institutional framework setting of political parties
8. The Czech politics in transition EU integration as a tool of social and economical transformation (modernization) of the state and society global and isolationistic tendencies in politics
9. Establishing of the political system in the Czech Republic voting system institutions of representation and content scheme of the system
10. Political parties in the Czech Republic ideological approaches to the politics analyses of political parties programs
11. Current development and future perspective elections economical reform - current problems of Czech democracy
12. Revising lecture, final debate
Anotace
The course provides a survey of Czech politics as a way of better understanding of the transformation process that this country has experienced during the last century and how the political system operates in nowadays society, including its political parties and decision-making structures.
The course analyses the most important events and processes of the modern Czech politics such as the emergence of modern Czechoslovak state, Communists coup, Prague spring, Velvet revolution. The course integrates historical and theoretical approaches. The main aim of the course is to analyze democracy and totalitarianism as the concepts of political organization of society and to show impact of both on Czech politics. The substantive part of the course will be focused on the recent political development and on the explanation of the Czech political system, including system of representation, electoral system, etc.