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The question of the participation of the Great Britain in 1980 Moscow Olympics in the context of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Křížová, Markéta ; Pešta, Mikuláš (advisor) ; Koura, Jan (referee)
The subject of this bachelor thesis is the question of the participation of the Great Britain in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and the related discussion of the possibility of boycotting them as a response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This thesis focuses primarily on the diversity of British opinion on this issue. Mention is made not only of the views of the British political representation, but also of the sporting community comprising its bodies, led by the British Olympic Committee, the athletes, and the media as well. This picture is then illustrated by opinion polls. In particular, the author tracked the evolution of the debate, which has varied according to the international situation at that time. Other British reactions to the invasion are mentioned in the context of coordination with the Allies. The reactions of the closest allies are also mentioned, which help to paint the overall picture. An analysis of the role of the Olympic Games and sport in general during the 20th century, and an analysis of the invasion itself, is also an integral part of this work.
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A Comparative Analysis of Nationalist Terrorism in the Case of the IRA and the Italian Fascist Movement 1919-1922
Šimák, Vojtěch ; Pešta, Mikuláš (advisor) ; Konrád, Ota (referee)
The work examines the violent campaigns of the Irish Republican Army and the fascist movement in Italy between the years 1919-1922, with the aim of demonstrating the utilization of terrorist methods in the case of the fascists. Subsequently, both examples undergo a comparative analysis, where the IRA serves as a control sample, in order to confront them with David C. Rapoport's generational theory of waves of international terrorism and to place them within a specific wave or offer an alternative theoretical framework for fascist violence. The research primarily relies on extensive secondary literature supplemented by primary sources of archival, newspaper, and propagandistic nature. The ambition of the entire work is not only to contribute to the study of fascism but especially to terrorist studies and the understanding of the role of political violence in the interwar period.
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Czechoslovakia-Iraq Relations 1980-1989 in the Context of the Cold War and the Iran-Iraq War
Dvořák, Jan ; Koura, Jan (advisor) ; Pešta, Mikuláš (referee)
This thesis will deal with political, economic and military cooperation of both countries during given time period, with taking the context of the Iran-Iraq War and the Eastern bloc' Middle Eastern policy into consideration. One of the main aims will be research of changes of mutual diplomatic relations, supplies of Czechoslovak "special material" to Iraq and it's importance in the relations of Czechoslovakia and Iraq. Integral part of thesis will also be an analysis of the relations between the ruling Iraqi Ba'th party and the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, where I will demonstrate to what degree was the Czechoslovak policy towards Iraq influenced by the ideological premises or by pragmatism. Thesis will be based on wide basis of unplublished resources and secondary literature. Apart of materials from the Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (especially a secret funds of the territorial departments), I will use materials from the National Archives of the Czech Republic (funds of the Central Commitee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Gustáv Husák). To informations concerned of activities of the Czechoslovak intelligence I am intending to use funds from the Security Service Archive (ABS) and to informations about "special material" supplies funds from the...
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Between Global Ambitions and Economic Pragmatism: Czechoslovak Experts in Angola and Mozambique in the Cold War
Menclová, Barbora ; Kolenovská, Daniela (advisor) ; Koura, Jan (referee) ; Pešta, Mikuláš (referee)
In the mid-1970s, the Soviet Union and its allies, strengthened by the Helsinki Conference's success and the United States' international weakening after the defeat in Vietnam, launched a new global offensive. One of their priorities became cooperation with the newly established states in Sub- Saharan Africa - Angola and Mozambique. In addition to continued military support, the Eastern Bloc states invested in their industrialization, agriculture, and key infrastructure, which were supposed to contribute to the development of both states. In the case of Czechoslovakia, like other European socialist countries, sending experts to Angolan and Mozambican factories and other institutions became part of its foreign policy. By the end of the Cold War, several hundred Czechoslovak citizens had gained work experience in Angola and, later, Mozambique. The aim of the dissertation dealing with this key Czechoslovak foreign policy strategy in the broader Cold War context is to contribute to the current academic discussion on the forms of socialist globalization and the approach of the East to the Global South in the late Cold War. Based on the archival documents and interviews with witnesses, it explores Czechoslovakia's intentions in pursuing its expertise in these Lusophone countries after 1975. Further, it...
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Czechoslovak-Libyan Cooperation in Health Care
Fischer, Philipp-Jakob ; Vojtěchovský, Ondřej (advisor) ; Pešta, Mikuláš (referee)
The thesis is focused on Czechoslovak-Libyan contacts in the healthcare sector from approximately the seventies to 1989. The pivotal period was the healthcare cooperation taking place in the eighties. The focus of this cooperation was primarily Czechoslovak medical experts who worked in Libyan medical institutions. The purpose of the work is to reveal the political and historical background of cooperation. Find out why it happened, how it happened and what it was about. The text also deals with the importance of cooperation for Czechoslovakia and Libya. Last but not least, the author tries to uncover the forgotten life stories of Czechoslovak medical professionals. It pays attention to their role in the cooperation, their motivation to travel to Libya and reconstructs the process of preparation, deployment and life in Libya. It also tracks the chronological development of the number of Czechoslovak medical professionals in Libya. The work highlights the efforts of these experts who have really helped thousands of Libyans and contributed to the development of the Libyan healthcare system. The text is the result of an extensive analysis of archival sources.
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"From a Left-Wing Intellectual to a pro-American Liberal?" The Development of President Vaclav Havel's Thought in Relation to the USA and NATO
Libnar, Vojtěch ; Pešta, Mikuláš (advisor) ; Johnston, Rosamund (referee)
The diploma thesis deals with selected views of Václav Havel after 1989, taking into account his previous ideas. It traces the development of Václav Havel's attitudes towards the North Atlantic Alliance, the contemplated, prepared and finally realized membership of the Czech Republic in this organization. Furthermore, the thesis examines Havel's personal ties to selected American officials and reflects on their views of Václav Havel. These include Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The thesis then turns in the final section to Havel's views on selected military interventions that were directly led by, or in which the United States was the major force - the Gulf War, the bombing of Yugoslavia, and the invasion of Iraq. Through these perspectives, it seeks to answer the question of whether Havel's worldview changed fundamentally during his presidency, and whether Havel uncritically embraced support for American foreign policy. Whether Havel had turned from a rather left-leaning intellectual from dissident circles into a Central European post-Communist statesman who was absorbed by the triumphalist atmosphere of the 1990s and his admiration for the United States. Or whether Havel has partly maintained his critical distance and lived...
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The First Decade of the Existence of the Federal Republic of Germany as Seen Through the Eyes of the Czechoslovak Military Mission to the Allied Control Council in Germany - The Development of the Problem from the Second World War to 1958
Fousek, Pavel ; Pešta, Mikuláš (advisor) ; Horčička, Václav (referee)
The period of more than ten years after the end of the Second World War is characterised by revolutionary changes that led to the emergence of new power formations. After the Second World War, the Cold War divided Europe and the world into two antagonistic camps - the West represented by the United States of America and the East led by the Soviet Union. The new balance of power also had a major impact on Czechoslovak-West German relations. The complexity of this relationship was due not only to the historical context itself, with its painful wartime experiences, but also to the fact that the Federal Republic of Germany had from the outset sought integration into Western structures, while the Czechoslovak Republic was transformed after February 1948 into part of the so-called Eastern bloc. The diploma thesis focuses on how the Czechoslovak Military Mission, which operated in West Berlin from the second half of the 1940s in the role of Czechoslovak diplomatic and consular representation, reflected Czechoslovak-West German relations. The aim of this thesis was to find out how this military mission interpreted the events in the Federal Republic of Germany in the period from 1949 to 1958 in terms of three key points - the issue of forcibly displaced people, especially the so-called Sudeten Germans, the...
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Czechoslovak Development Aid to the Algerian People's and Democratic Republic in the Years 1962-1965
Kopenec, Karel ; Pešta, Mikuláš (advisor) ; Mazanec, Jakub (referee)
Algeria gained its independence on March 19, 1962, after signing the Evian Accords with France. The accords ended Algeria's eight-year war of independence. Czechoslovakia already supported the Algerian side during the war, mainly by exporting arms. On the part of Czechoslovakia, it was primarily a business partnership and support of a potential ally during the Cold War. However, the Communist Party of Algeria came out of the war as a loser, its influence on events in the new state was minimal. In Algeria, the National Liberation Front came to power. This fact, however, did not prevent communist Czechoslovakia from providing further support to the newly formed state. Foreign aid was needed for Algeria, the war destroyed the already existing infrastructure, and moreover, the absence of French experts was noticeable for the country's economy. The thesis deals with the level of Czechoslovak development aid to Algeria in the first years of its independent existence and answers the following questions. For what purpose was aid provided by the Czechoslovakia to the newly emerging state of Algeria? Were these goals that the Czechoslovak Republic set for itself when establishing new relations with Algeria achieved? To which areas was Czechoslovak aid primarily directed? At the beginning, the thesis deals...
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The phenomenon of the Peace Race in the context of time
Procházková, Lucie ; Horčička, Václav (advisor) ; Pešta, Mikuláš (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the cycling stage Peace Race. The aim is to demonstrate the link between politics and sport. Specifically, the abuse of sport to promote political views. Therefore, period materials, such as spectator letters, newspaper articles or reports between race organizers, will be analyzed and the consequences drawn. The work deals with specific years that directly influenced the course and organization of the Peace Race. The main emphasis is on the first years of the race and then on the 80s of the 20th century, when there was an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which had a great impact on the race. Key words: Cycling, Czechoslovakia, Peace Race
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