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Development of the Mutual Assured Destruction concept in comparison before and after the Fall of the Iron curtain
Lovecký, Tomáš ; Bříza, Vlastislav (advisor) ; Smetana, Michal (referee)
The subject of this paper is an analysis of the current state of Mutual Assured Destruction in the relationship between the United States and Russian Federation. Although the concept was conceived during the Cold War its relevance is, in the author's opinion, determined by the magnitude and technological attributes of nuclear weapons possessed by the actors involved, as opposed to the political climate in the world. The author argues that regardless to the significant reductions in either side's nuclear arsenal MAD is still valid and will remain so in the foreseeable future. After briefly outlining the historical events that lead to the establishment of MAD, a chapter presenting evidence that the concept is still relevant even today is included. The theoretical framework is provided by MAD's characteristic that is built on 3 premises: the robustness of nuclear arsenal, the vulnerability to a retaliatory strike, and the ability to retaliate after absorbing a first strike. The analysis is conducted as a qualitative research. Regarding the former two premises, journal articles and data published in the context of the disarmament treaties serve as sources of information. The analysis of the latter premise constitutes the key part of this paper and the main sources of information are models simulating various...
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The successes of soft power in international relation
Wesley, Nathaniel ; Raška, Francis (advisor) ; Anděl, Petr (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to look at the role of the United States Peace Corps as a tool of soft power in the context of international relations and at the use of soft power as an effective part of diplomacy. This thesis has looks at the role of the Peace Corps in former British colonies in West Africa between 1961 and 1970.The project has focused the relationship of the newly independent British colonies with the United States in a period of intensive ideological interest of the USSR in this part of the world. The primary materials used in the paper have been journals and newspaper articles published by the Peace Corps, testimonials of former Peace Corps volunteers and scholarly publications on the topic of the Peace Corps, West African-American relations and relations between West Africa and the USSR. The Peace Corps played an important role in establishing relations between the US and West African countries in the 1960's with a special emphasis on education.
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Spy activities of Berlin's CIA and its influence on the international status of the US between 1945 and 1961
Motyčková, Hana ; Nigrin, Tomáš (advisor) ; Pečenka, Marek (referee)
Cold War has escalated in the era of the nuclear weapons, which in case of use would mean a total war with an uncertain outcome for each side. Hence, the society saw the dawn of new kinds of weapons. At the time information became an important weapon, too. Therefore intelligence became a valuable resource, the competitors would spend millions of dollars on. As the need for information used for weakening the enemy grew, the number of secret services, spies and espionage operations grew as well. Secret services engaged in development of new spying technologies and kept on infiltrating strategic positions in order to facilitate the espionage. Berlin, situated in the very center of the Soviet occupation zone, became one of these strategic locations for gathering information. The city of Berlin was divided into four zones under the Protocol on Zones of Occupation and Administration of Germany and "Greater Berlin" in 1944, each of them under administration of one of the Allies. Moreover, the city as one whole experienced joint occupation regime. Therefore Berlin became an ideal environment in terms of secret services and the city turned out to be the undercover paradise. Especially American and Soviet secret services saw mutual clashes on the daily basis. Even though the United States mastered the...
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Conceptual Integrated Approach to Teaching about Cold War at the Upper-secondary School
Manderlová, Eva ; Havlůjová, Hana (advisor) ; Parkan, František (referee)
The thesis titled A Conceptual Integrated Approach to Teaching about the Cold War at the Upper-secondary School presents the topic of the Cold War as a subject matter for an educational project implemented into History lessons at a selected Prague upper-secondary school. The thesis consists of a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part is a summary of the information available in scholarly literature. It contains a detailed presentation of integrated thematic teaching which is based on understanding of the human brain operation (brain- compatible teaching). Furthermore, theoretical starting point is introduced as well as the method used to present the topic. The practical part explores how background material was collected (description of situation, problem, conditions, and development of project). It also presents the analysis and interpreting of background material. Next, the results of the project are stated, together with its problems and imperfections. The practical part is supplemented with the application of the project. It outlines other ways integrated thematic teaching can be used in education.
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Summer Olympic Games in the Cold War (Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984)
Matoušek, Martin ; Kovář, Martin (advisor) ; Soukup, Jaromír (referee)
The work deals with the history of the Olympic Games, which were held in Moscow in 1980 and four years later in Los Angeles. These two major sporting events have been very affected by the political situation. The Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan in the end of 1979 led to the boycott of the Olympic Games from the US and a number of other States. I t was the largest boycott of the history of the games.Also indirectly led to the boycott of the games in Los Angeles, the Soviet Union and its satellites four years later. It is therefore both Olympics history analyzed in political context internationally. In this respect are the most important relations between the Soviet Union and the United States, mentioned are the other important events of international politics in the 1970s. years, including the Soviet-Afghan relations. In the case of two Olympiads are mentioned important facts concerning the Organization of the games facilities, sports venues, results and more. Mention also the impact of the boycott to cast individual and team competitions both Olympics. Part of the work is devoted to the Czechoslovak looking at the whole issue. The history of the Olympics, both the international situation and the way they were presented and accepted at the time in Czechoslovakia are the result of a...
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The New America in Beat Literature:Spontaneous, Far Out, and All That Jazz
Novická, Tereza ; Armand, Louis (advisor) ; Vichnar, David (referee)
1 Thesis Abstract This thesis establishes the Beat Generation as part of the American literary canon despite its rejection of the literary establishment and academic criticism of its day. The portrayal of the American postwar zeitgeist in Beat literature is examined through the innovative literary techniques proposed by Jack Kerouac based on jazz characteristics. The revitalization of poetic and narrative form are identified in Allen Ginsberg's earliest published poetry, notably "Howl; for Carl Solomon" (Howl and Other Poems, 1956), Kerouac's novels On the Road and Visions of Cody and his long poem Mexico City Blues, respectively. The emergence and peak of the initially marginal Beat literary movement that gave rise to the affiliated beatnik subculture illustrates the tradition of avant-garde art becoming incorporated into establishment culture. The first chapter outlines the political and cultural hegemony of the conservative fifties in America with focus on cultural and historical aspects relevant and parallel to the surfacing and development of the Beat/beatnik counterculture, i.e. Cold War policies, McCarthyism, poetic movements, the emergence of bebop and its innovations. The second chapter provides an in- depth analysis of Beat writing in reference to jazz as subject-matter and as influence on both...
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The Media Image of the Hockey Summit Series in 1972 and 1974 in Czechoslovakian Press
Poláček, Daniel ; Zamazal, Ondřej (advisor) ; Trunečka, Ondřej (referee)
My bachelor thesis deals with a media potrayal of so-called Summit Series from the years 1972 and 1974 in the Czechoslovakian press. Since both events, where both Soviet and overseas athletes performed, took place in the 1970s during the Cold War, they had both sports and political dimension. During this time, Czechoslovakia was a solid part of the East in a bipolar division of the world. My thesis concentrates on the role of a communist propaganda in the Summit Series coverage. Method of the thesis is quantitative content analysis. My research has a theoretical part which examines socio- cultural and medial context of that time.
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Analysis of the sino-soviet border conflicts in 1969
Crhák, Ondřej ; Stellner, František (advisor) ; Tumis, Stanislav (referee)
This bachalor thesis is focused on the Sino-Soviet border conflict of 1969, which represents the most sharpened period in the relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The purpose of the thesis is to demonstrate possible origns and consequences of this conflict as well as to show main characteristics of the border question using the analysis of development of the crisis. First chapters mainly deal with development of the Sino-Soviet split and history of common border. This work emphasizes in the first place level of foreign relations but it is also important to mention progress of conflict including the three most important border clashes. The thesis confronts with myths, legends and half-truths. The topic is elaborated on documents publicated electronicly on the internet and on unpublicated documents from Czech archives. Key words: border clashes, Brezhnev, Cold war, Communism, Damanskii, eastern bloc, Mao zedong, maoism, relations between PRC and USSR, Zhalanashkol
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Anti-patrioten, Traitors, Murderers in white cloaks. The image of "The Jew" as an "enemy" in the propaganda of late stalinism
Šimová, Kateřina ; Reiman, Michal (advisor) ; Kolenovská, Daniela (referee)
The period of late Stalinism (1948-1953) witnessed sharp rise of anti-Jewish animosity and discrimination from the part of the Soviet regime. These tensions were caused by both domestic factors (ideological diversification of Soviet intellectual elite, escalation of Jewish nationalism, struggle for power among highest nomenclature) as well as international factors (transformation of the Soviet-Israeli relations, rise of the Cold War). The thesis analyzes, how these circumstances were reflected at that time. Therefore it tries to identify, how the image of "The Jude" was formed by the Soviet propaganda and how it changed in the given time period. As a general framework for this analysis the concept of "The Enemy" will serve which is considered to be one of the basic elements of totalitarian ideologies. The thesis examines by means of semiotic method two significant propaganda campaigns of that period, namely campaign against the "cosmopolitism" in January - March 1949 and campaign accompanying "The Doctors' Plot" during January - March 1953. It would try to identify, how the image of "The Enemy" was connected at that time with the notion of "The Jew".
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