This diploma theses presented deals with the development and electoral success of chosen populist parties and movements in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, and a comparison of the electoral success in those countries. The thesis is focused on the period between 2010 and 2019, given that the year 2010 represents a turning point considering election results in both countries. The first part of the thesis presents theoretical background of the study of populism and different understandings of the concept. The minimal definition of populism is presented there, together with three fundamental actors of populism which are then used to identify individual populist parties. The second and the third part of this thesis deal with the situation in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, respectively. We identify populist political parties and movements which are active on nationwide level and which managed to gain substantial results in parliamentary elections in the country or in elections to the European Parliament. Each party is described in terms of its development and its activity in politics, and then its electoral success in important elections is assessed. Subsequently, relevant party materials are analyzed, such as manifestos, websites, and leaders' statements which show particular...

The imbizo was introduced in the light of the problems associated with indirect democracy, as well as attempts to bring democracy closer to the people in ways with which they are more familiar. The problem of the study was approached by putting the imbizo in perspective. Hence, a cybernetics model was used with the two information systems, namely the GCIS and the spider-web. They were used to describe the workings of the imbizo in the political system. A mixed method using both the quantitative and qualitative approaches investigated the problem by surveying students‟ understanding of the imbizo. A case study regarding service delivery and public participation was conducted at villages where the imbizo had been held. Generally, findings confirm the imbizo’s role as an instrument to enhance service delivery. The findings have some far-reaching implications for democracy: Unlike indirect democracy, the imbizo “takes the government closer to the people” through unmediated engagement of the people in order to realise direct democracy and accountability. / M.A. (Politics) / Political Science

The purpose of this thesis is to defend Athenian democracy against a long-established suspicion that the Athenian government, with its radical form of popular participation, was not only incompetent but also dangerous. There are two serious misunderstandings in this traditional view; one is the myth of the decline of Athens after the death of Pericles, the other being the outright denial of Athenian democracy by its philosophers, Xenophon and Plato. These two common presumptions about Athenian history and philosophy are therefore examined. The historical examination focuses on three important events: the law reform, the reconciliation and the trial of Socrates. All of them were conducted by Athenian democracy at the end of the fifth century B.C., a period of time that is often cited for the failure of democracy. However, it is found that the democracy demonstrated its excellent ability to manage political conflicts through the laws and the reconciliation. As to the infamous trial of Socrates, there were reasons for the popular suspicion of the Philosopher’s way of life. Following what we have learnt in the historical survey, we search for responses to the three events in the works of Xenophon and Plato. There are passages, though often dismissed by scholars, which indicate remarkable recognition of the democratic achievements in domestic politics. As regards the trial of Socrates, there are also signs of second thoughts in their works that reveal understandings of the democracy’s condemnation of philosophy. The works of Socrates’ pupils show mixed evaluation rather than outright denial of Athenian democracy. The traditional suspicion of Athenian democracy is therefore problematic due to its misconception of Athenian history and philosophy.

The main goal of this master's thesis, which is written in the form of content analysis, is to elaborate political communication of the Dawn of Direct Democracy of Tomio Okamura movement which is led by Tomio Okamura. More specifically, the aim of this academic work is to find populist elements in its discourse. In the theoretical part the concept of populism is defined. Also, different interpretations of populism are mentioned, namely, populism as ‚thin- centred ideology' or for example the style of political communication. Moreover, in the theoretical part the origin of populism is briefly discussed. Als, the features of populism, which are determined for this master's thesis are explained. The concept of populism is also examined with Jan Charvát, a political sicentist. Furthermore, the concept of political communication with the focus on political online communication is explained. During the interview the spokesman of the Dawn of Direct Democracy of Tomio Okamura movement Jan Zilvar explains how political online communication of the party functions. In the practical part, the methodology which was used during the collection and subsequent processing of source is mentioned - i.e. quantitative content analysis. Subsequently, the master's thesis briefly summarizes the source: the blog of Tomio...

Essa pesquisa relata os acontecimentos em Oaxaca durante o ano de 2006, quando uma onda de protestos populares levou à tomada da capital do Estado pelos manifestantes, à dissolução do poder político e à violenta ação de desocupação imposta pelo Governo Federal do México. Segundo relatos, o papel que os professores da rede pública de Oaxaca, por meio da Seção XXII do Sindicato Nacional dos Trabalhadores da Educação do México (SNTE,) desempenharam antes e durante a revolta popular de 2006 foi fundamental para nascer a Comuna de Oaxaca. A partir de uma análise crítica dos acontecimentos e das atividades políticas conduzidas pelos professores de Oaxaca nas duas últimas décadas, período de forte efervescência política no Estado e de destacada atuação sindical docente, pretende-se localizar e descrever quais as práticas pedagógicas propostas pelos docentes da Seção XXII. Seu objetivo é compreender, a partir desse levante popular, as concepções de Educação Alternativa e Autônoma que nasceram no Estado de Oaxaca e a elaboração coletiva de uma proposta de gestão comunitária das políticas educativas, caracterizadas pelo envolvimento dos trabalhadores da Educação na construção dessas políticas. Para tanto, o estudo abordará também as concepções políticas de movimentos docentes e de movimentos indígenas no México. A análise destas práticas docentes passará pela pesquisa e descrição do contexto sociopolítico local, pelo estudo da relação que os docentes da Seção XXII estabeleceram com as comunidades indígenas, rurais e setores populares urbanos da sociedade oaxaquenha, assim como a investigação da atuação política e sindical desses professores, sempre a partir de relatos de suas práticas, experiências e propostas educativas. / This research reports the events that happened in Oaxaca during the year 2006, when a wave of popular protests led to the protesters to assume the power of the State capital, the dissolution of political power and the violent eviction action imposed by the Federal Government of Mexico. According to the records, the teachers of Oaxaca public system, through the XXII Section of the Mexican National Syndicate of Education Workers, played a fundamental role in the creation of Oaxacas Comuna before and during the 2006 popular revolution. Through a critical evaluation of the events and the political activities conducted by Oaxacas teachers in the last two decades, that represent a period of strong political unrest and memorable actuation of the teachers trade union, it is intended to describe which are the pedagogical practices proposed by the teachers of the section XXII. Its aim is to comprehend, through this popular uprising, the conceptions of the Autonomous and Alternative education that emerged in Oaxaca State, and also the collective elaboration of a community management proposal of educational policies, characterized by the involvement of the education workers in the construction of these policies. Moreover, this study will address the political conceptions of teachers and indigenous movements in Mexico. The analysis of those teaching practices will be made through the research and description of the local socio-economic context, by the study of the relation established by the professors of Section XXII with indigenous and rural communities and with Oaxacan popular urban sectors. In addiction, the teachers political and syndical actuation, always from their practical narrative, experiences and education proposals will be investigated.

Democracy has been encountering an increasing number of critics. Whether it comes from a sympathy for autocrats, free-markets, or the more knowledgeable, this increasing democratic scepticism often takes an epistemic form. Democracy's critics argue that democratic procedures and institutions are unlikely to make good decisions or produce good outcomes in terms of justice or the common good, and should, therefore, be restricted if not completely rejected in favour of its more able alternatives. In the face of such scepticism, this thesis develops an epistemic theory of deliberative democracy. This theory has two principal aims. The first is to analyse and define the epistemic properties of deliberative democracy, and the second is to clarify the possible role epistemic values can play in a wider justification of democratic rule. In accordance with the first, the thesis analyses the ability of deliberative democratic institutions to make good or correct decisions in comparison to a broad range of prominent alternatives. These include traditional rivals such as autocracy and aristocracy, but also more modern and less considered alternatives such as free-markets, limited epistocracy and forms of technical calculation. Through these comparisons, it is argued that we have no good or clear epistemic reason to reject democracy. Deliberative democracy is found to be epistemically superior to many of its alternatives and epistemically equivalent to even its best competitors. The thesis, therefore, mounts a strong reply to democracy's epistemic sceptics. The analysis, however, also helps clarify which form of deliberative democracy is epistemically most valuable, pointing to the value systems approaches which give a prominent role to direct citizen deliberation. The epistemic theory of deliberative democracy also aims to clarify what role epistemic values can play in a wider justification of democratic rule. The thesis argues that deliberative democracy is epistemically superior to many of its rivals and no worse epistemically than even its best alternatives. This suggests that although epistemic values cannot mount a stand-alone defence of democracy, democrats would only be required to defend very weak non-epistemic values to produce a mixed justification. Far from being 'rule by the incompetent many' and therefore highly reliant on procedural values, the thesis will demonstrate that epistemic values can carry significant weight in an argument for democratic rule.

The imbizo was introduced in the light of the problems associated with indirect democracy, as well as attempts to bring democracy closer to the people in ways with which they are more familiar. The problem of the study was approached by putting the imbizo in perspective. Hence, a cybernetics model was used with the two information systems, namely the GCIS and the spider-web. They were used to describe the workings of the imbizo in the political system. A mixed method using both the quantitative and qualitative approaches investigated the problem by surveying students‟ understanding of the imbizo. A case study regarding service delivery and public participation was conducted at villages where the imbizo had been held. Generally, findings confirm the imbizo’s role as an instrument to enhance service delivery. The findings have some far-reaching implications for democracy: Unlike indirect democracy, the imbizo “takes the government closer to the people” through unmediated engagement of the people in order to realise direct democracy and accountability. / M.A. (Politics) / Political Science

Le référendum d’initiative populaire est souvent mentionné dans les réformes envisageables pour répondre à la « crise de la représentation ». Régulièrement utilisée dans quelques États occidentaux dont le régime est par ailleurs représentatif, cette procédure est donc assez bien connue. Pour autant, elle n’existe toujours pas en droit interne, et la tentative d’instauration envisagée lors de la révision constitutionnelle de 2008 s’est soldée par un échec puisqu’elle n’a abouti qu’à l’introduction d’un nouveau référendum « d’en haut ». L’objet de la thèse est de prendre au sérieux la question de l’incorporation d’un processus d’initiative populaire dans l’ordonnancement constitutionnel de la Ve République. Pour ce faire, elle vise à établir une proposition qui pourrait servir de modèle, au sens où elle serait susceptible d’inspirer une éventuelle intégration. Une telle démarche permet de mettre en évidence les interrogations que peut soulever l’introduction d’une telle procédure dans nos institutions et, en s’efforçant d’y répondre, de souligner qu’elles peuvent être résolues. Evidemment, la proposition ne fonctionne que dans les limites de l’hypothèse qui en fournit le cadre. Pour qu’elle conserve malgré tout son intérêt, elle est établie à partir du droit positif. Le droit interne fournit l’essentiel de la substance, il soutient l’ossature de toutes les hypothèses retenues et ce quel que soit le degré de transformation dont il fait l’objet. Le droit étranger permet les alternatives, les atténuations et les créations. La démarche peut contribuer à conférer un certain réalisme au résultat obtenu, et se présente comme un facteur de sa cohérence. La circonstance qu’elle ait été possible appuie le postulat général de la thèse selon lequel la transposition du droit existant à l’encadrement de l’initiative populaire favorise son institutionnalisation. / Popular initiative is often mentioned as one of the potential answers of the “crisis” of representative democracy. Frequently used in some western states even though their political regime is representative democracy, the initiative process is consequently well-known. Such initiative process does not exist already in french constitutionnal law, and the last attempt was a failure since it came down to the implementation of a top-down procedure. The purpose of this thesis relates to the instauration of an initiative process in the french constitution. As a postulate, it allows to establish a proposal which could be used as a model, an inspiration source for a potential real instauration. Such approach makes possible to highlight all the questions marks that an introduction of a popular initiative may arise. Trying to answer those questions, we may enlighten the fact that it could be resolved. Obviously, the proposal operates only in the limits of the assumption that it is at its origin. In order to keep its interest, it is going to be based on the positive law. The internal law gives to the proposal its basis, the others coutries’s law is used to adapt the intern law to the initiative’s own dynamic. This method may help to hold the proposal into a realistic framework. The fact that it is possible to follow this path accentuates the value of the general postulate on which the thesis relies.

Essa pesquisa relata os acontecimentos em Oaxaca durante o ano de 2006, quando uma onda de protestos populares levou à tomada da capital do Estado pelos manifestantes, à dissolução do poder político e à violenta ação de desocupação imposta pelo Governo Federal do México. Segundo relatos, o papel que os professores da rede pública de Oaxaca, por meio da Seção XXII do Sindicato Nacional dos Trabalhadores da Educação do México (SNTE,) desempenharam antes e durante a revolta popular de 2006 foi fundamental para nascer a Comuna de Oaxaca. A partir de uma análise crítica dos acontecimentos e das atividades políticas conduzidas pelos professores de Oaxaca nas duas últimas décadas, período de forte efervescência política no Estado e de destacada atuação sindical docente, pretende-se localizar e descrever quais as práticas pedagógicas propostas pelos docentes da Seção XXII. Seu objetivo é compreender, a partir desse levante popular, as concepções de Educação Alternativa e Autônoma que nasceram no Estado de Oaxaca e a elaboração coletiva de uma proposta de gestão comunitária das políticas educativas, caracterizadas pelo envolvimento dos trabalhadores da Educação na construção dessas políticas. Para tanto, o estudo abordará também as concepções políticas de movimentos docentes e de movimentos indígenas no México. A análise destas práticas docentes passará pela pesquisa e descrição do contexto sociopolítico local, pelo estudo da relação que os docentes da Seção XXII estabeleceram com as comunidades indígenas, rurais e setores populares urbanos da sociedade oaxaquenha, assim como a investigação da atuação política e sindical desses professores, sempre a partir de relatos de suas práticas, experiências e propostas educativas. / This research reports the events that happened in Oaxaca during the year 2006, when a wave of popular protests led to the protesters to assume the power of the State capital, the dissolution of political power and the violent eviction action imposed by the Federal Government of Mexico. According to the records, the teachers of Oaxaca public system, through the XXII Section of the Mexican National Syndicate of Education Workers, played a fundamental role in the creation of Oaxacas Comuna before and during the 2006 popular revolution. Through a critical evaluation of the events and the political activities conducted by Oaxacas teachers in the last two decades, that represent a period of strong political unrest and memorable actuation of the teachers trade union, it is intended to describe which are the pedagogical practices proposed by the teachers of the section XXII. Its aim is to comprehend, through this popular uprising, the conceptions of the Autonomous and Alternative education that emerged in Oaxaca State, and also the collective elaboration of a community management proposal of educational policies, characterized by the involvement of the education workers in the construction of these policies. Moreover, this study will address the political conceptions of teachers and indigenous movements in Mexico. The analysis of those teaching practices will be made through the research and description of the local socio-economic context, by the study of the relation established by the professors of Section XXII with indigenous and rural communities and with Oaxacan popular urban sectors. In addiction, the teachers political and syndical actuation, always from their practical narrative, experiences and education proposals will be investigated.

À partir d’une étude systématique du droit positif des seize Länder de la République Fédérale d’Allemagne, il s’agit de montrer que l’initiative populaire ne relève pas de la démocratie dite directe ou immédiate. Contrairement à la conception communément admise, cette institution démocratique qui permet à un nombre limité de citoyens non élus de participer à l’élaboration de la loi et au contrôle des organes de l’État, s’inscrit bien dans la démocratie médiate. Par l’élaboration d’une typologie des procédures d’initiative populaire en Allemagne, il est alors possible de remettre en question la conception classique tendant à identifier l’initiative populaire au « référendum d’initiative populaire ». Cette approche est en effet réductrice, car elle ne permet pas de rendre compte de la coexistence et de la spécificité des deux types d’initiative populaire mis au jour : l’initiative populaire décisionnelle – qui peut conduire à un référendum, si le Parlement du Land n’adopte pas la demande formulée par les citoyens – et l’initiative populaire propositive – une procédure à vocation non référendaire. Pour démontrer que l’initiative populaire relève de la démocratie médiate, le recours au concept de potentiel populaire permet d’une part de souligner la spécificité théorique de l’initiative populaire par rapport au référendum qui renvoie classiquement à la notion de puissance populaire. D’autre part, cette idée de potentiel populaire permet de redonner à l’initiative populaire une unité conceptuelle, au-delà de la variété des procédures et des types d’initiative populaire, identifiés par l’analyse des droits positifs des seize États fédérés allemands. La proposition de définition du potentiel populaire combine enfin les deux éléments de définition de la démocratie médiate : tout d’abord, le potentiel populaire peut être défini comme l’ensemble des limites juridiques constitutives de l’initiative populaire, ce qui renvoie à l’idée de démocratie représentée, mise en forme et donc nécessairement limitée par le droit qui constitue dès lors le medium de la participation démocratique ; ensuite, ces limites constitutives permettent à la minorité populaire de représenter une possible volonté générale, ce qui permet de justifier la conception de l’initiative populaire, medium d’une volonté générale potentielle, comme institution de la démocratie représentative / Offering a systematic study of positive law in all sixteen Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany, this thesis intends to show that popular initiative does not partake of direct, or immediate, democracy. Contrary to what is commonly thought, this democratic institution, which allows a limited number of non-elected citizens to participate in the elaboration of the law and in the controlling of State organs, does belong squarely in the realm of mediated democracy. By establishing a typology of the different procedures of popular initiative in Germany, one may therefore question the classical conception, which tends to identify the popular initiative with a “referendum by popular initiative.” Such an approach is indeed reductive since it cannot account for the coexistence and the respective singularities of two kinds of popular initiatives: the decision-making popular initiative – which can lead to a referendum if the Parliament of the Land does not grant the citizens’ demand – and the propositive popular initiative – which is not meant to lead to a referendum. In order to demonstrate that popular initiative partakes of a mediated democracy, this thesis resorts to the concept of popular potential, which allows first to underline the theoretical specificity of the popular initiative compared to the referendum, which classically relies on the notion of popular power. Second, with the idea of popular potential, popular initiative can once again be conceived of as a unified concept, beyond the variety of existing procedures and the different kinds of popular initiative in the sixteen federated States of Germany. Finally, the proposed definition of the popular potential combines the two defining elements of mediated democracy: first, popular potential can be defined as the set of legal limits that are constitutive of the popular initiative, which harks back to the idea of a represented and formalized democracy, thus necessarily limited by the law which therefore constitutes the medium for democratic participation; and second, these constitutive limits may allow the popular minority to represent possible the general will, which justifies to conceive of popular initiative, the medium of a potential general will, as one of the institutions of representative democracy