State and society in communist Czechoslovakia : transforming the everyday from World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall / Roman Krakovský.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Krakovský, Roman, author.

Contributor:

Higgins, Jennifer, translator.

Series:

International library of twentieth century history ; 104.

International library of twentieth century history ; 104

Standardized Title:

Réinventer le monde. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Communism--Czechoslovakia--History--20th century--Case studies.

Communism.

Politics and government.

History.

Social conditions.

Czechoslovakia--Social conditions--1945-1992--Case studies.

Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia--History--1945-1992--Case studies.

Czechoslovakia--Politics and government--1945-1992--Case studies.

Genre:

Case studies.

History.

Physical Description:

xx, 323 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : I.B. Tauris, 2018.

Language Note:

Translated from the French.

Summary:

Across Central and Eastern Europe after World War II, the newly established communist regimes promised a drastic social revolution that would transform the world at great pace and pave the way to a socialist future. Although many aspects of this utopian project are well known--fast-paced industrialization, collectivisation and urbanisation--the regimes even sought to transform the ways in which their citizens interacted with each other and the world around them. Using a unique analytical model based on anthropology, sociology, history and extensive archival research, award-winning scholar Roman Krakovský considers the Czechoslovakian attempt to 'reinvent the world'--in this all-encompassing way. Ranging from World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall, his innovative analysis considers the impact of Stakhanovism, the impossible-to-achieve production targets intended to assert socialism's future potential; the attempt to replace Sunday's Christian attributes with socialist ones; and the profound changes brought about to the public and private spheres, including the culture of informing and the ways this was circumvented. Across a wide range of case studies Krakovský demonstrates both the far-reaching extent of the communist vision and the inherent flaws and contradications that gradually destabilised it. This in-depth perspective is vital reading for all scholars of twentieth-century history and politics.--Page [4] of cover.

Contents:

1. In the Land Where Tomorrow Was Already Yesterday

2. The Lord's Day, the Worker's Day

3. Constructing the Idea of the Common Good

4. Complaining, Talking about Yourself

5. 'One Day, Our Streets Will Be a Festival!'

Conclusion.

Notes:

Originally published in French by Publications de la Sorbonne.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 303]-315) and index.

ISBN:

1784539147

9781784539146

OCLC:

964379839