Text of CZECHOSLOVAK COMMUNIST SYSTEM Doc. PhDr. Vlastimil Fiala, CSc
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CZECHOSLOVAK COMMUNIST SYSTEM Doc. PhDr. Vlastimil Fiala,
CSc.
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1. Introduction history of the Czechoslovak communist system
and current situation Czechoslovak, Soviet and East European
communist system - differences Differences The party systems The
election systems, The role of army in society, The attitude to the
opposition and dissidents politics Similarities
Marx-Leninist/Communist party Marxist-Leninist Ideology Leading
role in society of the communist party
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2. Main Features of the Communist System 2.1. The existence of
the dominant position of the Communist party 2.2. The role of the
Marxist-Leninism as a leading scientific ideology, dominating
public life dominating/non-dominating private life (Arkadij Gajdar:
uk a Gek)
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2. Main Features of the Communist System 2.3. The principle of
the leading role of the Communist party dominated and corrupted all
political, economic, cultural and social structures creation of the
quasi democratic facade of the communist regime control of all
repressive and powerful state institutions - policy/secret policy,
army control of judicial system
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2. Main Features of the Communist System 2.4. An existence of
strict censorship (newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, books,
monopoly for information) 2.5 The restriction of the individual
freedoms and creating of the closed society limited possibility to
travel abroad restriction of the opposition and dissident groups
2.5. Communist party directed all economy and professional
activities
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2.1. Dominant role of the Communist Party 2.1.1. Structure of
the communist party 2.1.2. Personal policy (nomenklatura) 2.1.3.
Main organisational communist principle called Democratic
centralism
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2.1.1 Structure of the Communist party see scheme of the
structure of the communist party Scheme illustrates the full extent
of the massive party bureaucracies to dominate all society
activities. Territorial basis of communist party - territorial
divisions (district, city, county, province and nation)
corresponding to electoral constituencies.
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2.1.1 Structure of the Communist party Extra-territorial basis
Primary party organisations based at the workplace (schools,
factories, shops, farms, theatres, universities and military
barracks, etc.) PPO controlled all state institutions from below to
above PPO and their committees managed all political, economic, and
social activities. PPO (chairman or general secretaries) influenced
also personal policy.
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2.1.1 Structure of the Communist party Structure of the
Communist party at Palack University before 1989 personal policy
(rector, vice-rectors, deans, vice-deans, heads of the departments,
vice- head of the departments, academic staff) learning programmes
no academic senate or scientific council selection of the students
preference to workers and communist cadres
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2.1.1 Structure of the Communist party Communist structure on
territorial basis (each communist was a member of two PPO)
Organisation of party elections Role of the party conferences and
congresses Role of the Central Committee of communist party Role of
the Political bureau and General Secretary
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2.2. Personal policy (nomenklatura) Party control of the
society was assured by its personal policy Party organisations
controlled all major appointments in their area. State levels (CC
Secretariat = ministerial posts, key jobs in the military, security
and foreign services, the appointments of directors of major
economic concerns and regional party and governments leaders) Local
levels (town or cities) the party committee and First secretary
would control the appointment of school headteachers, PPO chairs,
local council chairs, shop and small factory managers, etc.
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2.1.2. Personal policy (nomenklatura) The nomenklatura was
literally the list of jobs controlled by the party At the lowest
level the membership in communist party was not important for some
leading jobs, but this post-holder and their secret personal file
were vetted by the Communist party before the appointment was made.
Nomenklatura was came to stand for the ruling elite of communism
Certain jobs were reserved only for party members; Preconditions
the passing so-called one year evening university of Marxism -
Leninism which was obligatory also for the people with university
education Czechoslovak CP membership vs. family needs
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2.1.3. Organisational principle Democratic centralism
Uniformity within the party was enforced by the principle of
democratic centralism, specific to CP. Democratic centralism was
variously defined in the rules of CP - All leading party bodies are
elected - Party bodies report periodically to their organisations
and to higher bodies - Strict party discipline and subordination of
the minority to the majority - Decisions of higher bodies are
obligatory for lower bodies. * Characteristic of the Democratic
centralism * Noun is centralism, the adjective democratic, so the
basic tenet is centralism, not democracy
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2.1. 3. Organisational principle Democratic centralism Party
secretaries approved who was elected to attend and serve on
committees Limited electoral choice, democratic element did not
work Factional activity inside party was banned Discussion of
policy was non-existent because decisions from the centre could not
be questioned. Lower bodies and individual members had to accept
decisions from above. Example election of the members of the
University Socialist Union of Youth
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2.2. Marxist-Leninism as a leading scientific ideology The main
ideology and ideological motor of communist party was
Marxism-Leninism, The body of ideas culled from the writings of
Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin According CP the M-L was scientific
and provided the means to understand all human development, Only CP
leaderships could interpret and apply M-L. Only CP members knew the
true interests of the people, and could represent them and guide
them to communism, the highest stage of human development. Who
disagreed with it had to be wrong and was enemy of communist
system.
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2.2. Marxist-Leninism as a leading scientific ideology The
communist system was very inefficient. The party stood above the
law and exhibited little sympathy for society's concerns. The
criticism of some decision at workplace was understood as direct
attack of party politics. The party's enormous power encouraged
arrogance and corruption, There were no checks on bad policy.
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2.3. The principle of the leading role of the CP party
Communist Constitutions and leading role, Legal basis for Communist
power, dominated and corrupted all political structures
Czechoslovak National front election procedure polling booth was
not used, system of minor sanctions (travel abroad, education,
professional career etc.), Charta 77 dominated and corrupted all
economic structures PPO, no private sector, Five years economic
plans, planned economy, Congress of the CP Dominated and corrupted
all cultural, social and professional structures all organisations
controlled by communist, concerts, trade union etc. creation of the
quasi democratic facade of the communist regime control of all
repressive and powerful state institutions - policy/secret policy,
army control of judicial system
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2.4. An existence of strict censorship newspapers, magazines,
TV, radio, books, Communist monopoly for information (no
information from foreign mass medias) Role of the Radio Free
Europe, BBC Czech broadcasting, USA broadcasting Underground
pamphlets, books, newspapers
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2.5 The restriction of the individual freedoms and creating of
the closed society limited possibility to travel abroad no
possibility to compare level of the living standard no civic
society (civil society is the sum of non- state and extra-familial
activities in a nation) mass organisation (Pionyr, Socialist Union
of Youth, Revolutionary Trade Union, Union of Women, Svazarm, etc.)
restriction of the opposition and dissident groups
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3. Totalitarian and Authoritarian Rule discussion about
character of the communist systems H. Arendt, Aaron, C. Fridrich J.
Brzezinski, G. Sartori, J. Linz, A. Perlmutter Differences among
communist states, during their development
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4. Conclusion Communism in eastern Europe and the USSR was not
uniform. Huge political differences between Stalinist Albania, the
political turmoil in Poland caused by Solidarity, the fetid
orthodoxy of Czechoslovakia and the GDR, and the struggling
superpower politics of the USSR. The crises of the communist
regimes were broadly similar at all Central European countries
(politically illegitimate, the economic systems were inefficient
and decaying, the political systems they headed were corrupt and
unresponsive to pressures for change) Very fast re-established the
individual freedom of citizens, new political institutions,
political parties, free and fair elections