This dissertation thesis deals with the notion of "vekslactvi" in socialist Czechoslovakia and with a social group called "vekslaci", which orchestrated illicit trade with foreign currencies, the so called tuzex vouchers, and smuggled consumer goods. The analysis lays emphasis on the daily operations of the "veksláci" and also on the commodities which they traded. From this perspective, "vekslaci" could be treated as a driving force within the Czechoslovak black market. In addition to the basic principles of "veksl", the chapter also presents a certain typology of traffickers and mutual hierarchical links within this specific community. The lifestyle of the "vekslák subculture" is also a subject of historical reconstruction as the thesis seeks to place "veksláci" in the context of the Czechoslovak society before 1989. The thesis also deals with the social and economic circumstances that enabled the birth of a peculiar social group of "vekslaci". Among others, it focuses on the role of the Tuzex hard currency shops, which was introduced in order to sell (mostly imported) consumer goods in exchange for foreign currencies or special vouchers. Attitude of the Czechoslovak state regarding the issue of "veksláctví" is also a subject of analysis. The research focuses on legislation, which gradually...

This dissertation has the ambition to contribute to the understanding of the economic system in Czechoslovakia during the post-war socialist transformation and the subsequent consolidation of the communist regime in the 1950s. The means of knowledge is the state economic plan, which has gradually become one of the key determinants of the Czechoslovak economy after the Second World War. The process of forming a system of state-controlled economy is monitored from the field of view of selected industry - brewing. The importance of the brewing industry consists in the deep-rooted specifics of beer consumption in Czech society. The research focuses on the penetration of post-war national, social and economic transformations through Czechoslovak production and beer consumption. It focuses on the limits of business freedom in brewing industry in the period of the Third Republic, transformation of private enterprise into collective forms of ownership, specifics and detail of the state plan and its formation in the context of crucial domestic political and international events. The results of the dissertation provide information about the mechanism of state economic planning, the development of traditional Czech industry and beer consumption in the period of state socialism, and at the same time provide...

Abstract The Master thesis Czechoslovakia in 1960s from the point of view of theory non- democratic regimes deals with the analysis of political, economic and social development, especially with the so-called Prague Spring of 1968. The 1968 reform was an attempt to transform the Czechoslovak communist regime. The aim was to transform Czechoslovakia into a modern industrial society, break free from the total subordination to the Soviet Union, yet with the leading role of the Communist Party. For this reason, the year 1968 holds an important position in our post-war history. The thesis is divided into two main parts and seven chapters. The first part is devoted to non-democratic theories, particularly to totalitarianism and authoritarianism. The second part describes the events in the communist Czechoslovakia between 1948 and 1960. And subsequently, the remaining part is devoted to the main topic of the thesis, to Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. The aim of my thesis was to describe the situation in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, identify the causes and consequences of the so-called Prague Spring of 1968 and try to match Czechoslovakia to a certain type of non-democratic regime in the 1960s and thus determine where Czechoslovakia was on the imaginary scale from totalitarianism to democracy in this period.

The topic of the thesis deals with everyday life in Podblanicko Region during the socialist era. This is a local research that tries to show the memories of rural people on the period of normalization, defined by the 70s and 80s of the 20th century, in terms of food, clothing and housing. The research deals with the strategies, tactics and improvisations of the inhabitants of this region in the period of socialism, among other things focused on the lack of required goods in shops, poor supply, searching for not very high-quality construction materials and fashionable clothes. Apart from individual expressions, it deals with community style that inherently belongs to the rural population. The era of socialism is strongly ingrained in the mind of the people who lived at that time. It is clear from many sources that before the year 1989 people in the countryside did not live just meaningless lives, remarked and emptied by a totalitarian regime. In many cases, they tried to ignore the regime or they just were not interested in it. In their everyday life they created values, which were more important to them. However, they were able to realize the values mostly only partially. In order to achieve the things they considered important, their ingenuity, strategy and tactics were essential. A life in the...

This dissertation deals with the profession of bartender between years 1958 and 1988 in socialist Czechoslovakia. It describes the development of mixology after the WW2 and difficulties it was facing in the socialist period up to late Eighties. Through interviews with contemporary witnesses, the author examines bad habits, shortcomings and abuses of the system behind the bar. Attention is paid to the availability and shortages of different kinds of alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks. The author also looks at bartenders as illicit moneychangers. The work analyses regulatory laws valid at this period and offers compact description of the most interesting and popular bars in Prague at that time.

This diploma thesis deals with profession of mannequin in Czechoslovak. Focus is on the 1960s and 1970s of the 20th century. The diploma thesis focuses on questions, how the woman in Czechoslovakia could become a mannequin, how mannequins were perceived by ordinary people, what position in the world of work they had and what benefits mannequins had from their professions (e.g. benefits in the opportunity of travel, the opportunity to participate in an international exhibitions, filming etc.). The diploma thesis also focuses on the image of mannequins in contemporary media, especially in a feature film. In the diploma thesis there is not neglected contemporary fashion as well with focusing for example on artificial fabric or fashion that was seen in common shops and on the streets. The supporting structure of the thesis consists of interviews with mannequins of the socialist era, but one of the narrators is also a fashion designer Zdeňka Bauerová.

This text deals with the Financial crises from the perspective of everyday lived experience. It presents the analysis of narrative accounts of lay people who were active on the Czech housing market during or after the Crises. Theoretically rooted in the in the framework of narrative analysis, the text widens the mainstream economical perceptions of Crises bringing the concepts of emotions, ethos and symbolic boundaries into account. On the behalf of the narratives of Crises, the narratives of the process of social construction of home proved to be significant for the narrator's identity construction and presentation. Text presents three main findings a) Crises is trope, which is used as such in the narratives b) moral evaluation, which might be coined as the bourgeois morality ethos prove their significance in the narratives c) housing choices being based both on "rational" and "irrational" factors i. e. emotions, moral evaluations. The main interpretation of the narrative accounts suggests the crucial importance of the narratives of social construction of home for the expression of being independent, capable, responsible and thus successful person. The ability to express the capability of securing what is culturally regarded as "good and ideal housing" to the family, represents ones ability to...

The present thesis deals with the media image of women's everyday life in the socialist era. It focuses on the period of time between 1970 and 1975, i.e. on the so called early normalization. The aim of the study is to find out in what way the everyday life of the given period is interpreted by the magazine Vlasta. The main value of the analysis is that it reveals the idealistic presentation of the socialist women's way of life, and their common problems and worries. The analysis of the articles we perform is focused on family and home care, child upbringing both at home and in institutions, man's role in the family, physical and mental health, cosmetics, fashion, etc., i.e. all the aspects belonging to and forming everyday life. Through these topics, which are popular among women, the magazine discreetly created the ideal of the socialist woman. In the messages concerned with everyday life it was passing on the values, stereotypes and even ideological principles of the socialist society of that time. The main aim of the analysis is to create a complex picture of this everyday practice in Vlasta magazine. Key words Everyday life, woman, socialisms, normalization, Vlasta magazine, family care, home care, child care

Representation, process, experience: (post)industrial landscape in anthropological-geographical perspective Abstract The main topic of the dissertation is the (post)industrial landscape of what is today the Czech Republic. In particular, the dissertation presents three case studies of three (post)industrial landscapes: that of Ostrava, Kladno and Most. The aim of the dissertation is twofold - thematic as well as theoretical. As far as the thematic focus of the dissertation goes, the author employs the concept of landscape as a prism through which it is possible to explore large societal shifts and changes as they are mirrored in landscape. The question is what has happened to industrial landscape after the fall of socialism and how industrial landscape has turned into what it is now. On the theoretical level, the (post)industrial landscape of contemporary Czechia is used as a means of exploring the complexity of the concept of landscape and developing a conceptualization of landscape that comes to terms with its complexity, ambiguity and elusiveness. In terms of theory, the dissertation engages with three ways of conceptualising landscape prevalent in contemporary anthropology and (new cultural) geography: landscape as representation, process and experience. To explore them in depth and reveal any...

This work presents the personality and work of two thinkers, Bernard Bolzan and Charles Fourier. It focuses on their social ideas, so it looks mainly at their side of social utopians. It compares their views on the ideal organization of human society. It also pays attention to teaching and education in their conception, moreover, with reflection in relation to today. The aim is also to map the initial conditions of each of the thinkers, material, family, ideological, historically contemporary. At the very beginning, the work places all this in the context of historical development and subsequently in social theories. After an overview of developments and social theories, he introduces the topic of social utopianism and introduces two other important utopians - Saint-Simon and Robert Owen. Then the personality and work of Bernard Bolzan, followed by Charles Fourier, are introduced. The following is a comparison of the relevant categories for both thinkers, representing the degree of overlap of their common features. Then there is a chapter focused on education and training with an overlap to the present. The work shows that social utopianism is characterized by ignorance of socio-economic development and insufficient processing of a specific way of implementing the social establishment. These elements also...