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The Road to Democracy in Communist Countries: Exploring the Influences in Transformation including nationalism
Xu, Jingjing ; Svoboda, Karel (advisor) ; Hanley, Seán (referee) ; Horák, Slavomír (referee)
This research delves into the transformative political journeys of Eastern Bloc countries following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, emphasizing the distinct paths they embarked upon-ranging from democracies to autocracies. Central to this exploration is the potent role of nationalism, particularly the dynamics of inclusive and exclusive nationalism, in steering these transitions. Through comparative analyses, the study unravels the complex interplay of factors that influenced the trajectories of these nations. The findings not only map the road to democracy in communist countries but also illuminate the profound influence of nationalism on such metamorphoses. By shedding light on these intricate dynamics, the research offers a robust framework for understanding and guiding democratic transitions in other regions, emphasizing the nuances of nationalism that can either bolster or hinder the pursuit of democratic ideals. Key Words: Eastern Bloc, Political Transformation, Democracy, Authoritarian Regimes, Nationalism, Post-communist
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"These are citizens of our country. We are their servants." A case study of Pierre Poilievre as an example of growing Canadian populism within the framework of Cas Mudde's scholarship
Mola-Schmidt, Amelia ; Shavit, Anna (advisor) ; Němcová Tejkalová, Alice (referee)
As scholars who have studied populism in the Canadian context have noted, Canada has previously held a false sense of immunity to the rise of populism due its multiculturalism that was seen as a barrier for the traditional xenophobic and culturally exclusive values of populist politicians in other Western democracies. Forms of populism that have arisen in Canada have taken the form of "neoliberal populism", an ideology rooted in fiscal conservatism and the belief that less government intervention is better. However, the election of Pierre Poilievre as leader of the Federal Conservative party has indicated a shift in the political spectrum, that populism is gaining traction on a mainstream level. As Cas Mudde has written about in his literature on populism, the mainstream media play an active role in shaping the discourse around populists, often giving them more air time due to their sensationalist behaviour that make for viral soundbites. So how has the Canadian media responded to Poilievre, and how does the political alignment of media impact the coverage he gets? This study will seek to answer these questions and provide insights into how the Canadian media may contribute to further political polarisation in society.
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Liechtenstein between direct democracy and absolute monarchy? The Road to a New Liechtenstein Constitution
Floder, Daniel ; Kunštát, Miroslav (advisor) ; Lizcová, Zuzana (referee)
At the end of the 20th century, a power conflict emerged between the ambitious Prince of Liechtenstein and the elected representatives which wanted to curb the prince's considerable powers. This development culminated in the 2003 constitutional amendment, in which the prince prevailed and gained powers at the expense of the democratically elected institutions. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the 2003 constitutional amendment and its impact on the constitutional and political system of Liechtenstein and to determine the reasons behind the prince's success in the constitutional referendum. To achieve these goals, a case study analysis is conducted. Concepts such as the king's dilemma are used to interpret the results within the framework of political science research on monarchies. The hypothesis suggests that despite the strengthening of the prince's political power, the country has not turned into an absolute monarchy, and that the main reason for the prince's success was his influential status rooted deeply in the historical traditions and sentiments of the population. The thesis utilizes primary sources, most importantly the constitution, supplemented with insights from secondary literature in the fields of political science, history, and law. The thesis concludes that the prince's...
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Didactic treatment of the problems of contemporary democracy for teaching of social sciences
Záleský, František ; Dvořáková, Michaela (advisor) ; Fapšo, Marek (referee)
This master thesis deals with the issues of modern-day democracy and its didactic treatment of the way the school subject Social studies is taught at gymnázium schools. At first, the subject of democracy is discussed from many different angles, and those are compared to one another. Due to its didactic focus, the thesis partially uses school textbooks as a source. After that, great attention is given to four particular problems of the current democracy and a couple of different ways to view them. The discussed problems are inequality, education, populism, and epistemic disfiguration. Moreover, the thesis features an analysis of the approach to the subject in general education programs for gymnáziom schools. This analysis is followed up with another analysis, which deals with the treatment of the subject in the selected education programs at four different gymnázium schools, which are then compared to one another. In another subchapter, the thesis dissects the amount of attention that is paid to the problems of the current democracy in textbooks for secondary schools. These textbooks are then compared. It was discovered that general and school education programs lack a critical approach, definition of the problems, and their connection to the present day. The second part of the thesis includes...
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Communication of the European Parliament and its influence on the democracy in the Czech Republic
Hrabětová, Magdaléna ; Hejlová, Denisa (advisor) ; Shavit, Anna (referee)
The aim of the thesis is to coherently unify the functioning communication strategies and tools of the European Parliament into one academic work. Furthermore, to provide an insight into the functioning of individual institutions of the European Union and introduce important concepts that connect communication with democracy. In the practical part, with the help of theoretical knowledge and qualitative research, we will gain a comprehensive understanding of the communication of individual Czech Members of the European Parliament with citizens, evaluate the effectiveness of EP communication, and assess its impacts on democracy in the Czech Republic.
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Relationship Between Citizen and State in the Countries of Former Yugoslavia: Interdisciplinary Investigations
Tasic, Nikola ; Salamon, Janusz (advisor) ; Halamka, Tomáš (referee)
The relationship between citizens and the state has intrigued scholars for centuries. This research proposes a new approach to investigating this interaction: the Bipolar Theory Framework. The Framework presupposes that citizens live between two clusters of elements, grouped in the Positive and the Negative pole, which exert diametrically opposite influences on their political loyalty. The Positive Pole acts to foster feelings of loyalty and is based on factors rooted in shared heritage. These elements include shared ethnicity, territory, religion, and symbols. On the other hand, the Negative Pole primarily comprises elements pertaining to the socio-economic and political environment and works in the opposite direction. The elements presented here are political corruption, low SES, and poor quality of public services. The final question that this Framework aims to address is which of these poles has a greater impact on citizens when they make the decision to emigrate from their state. This is presented under the presumption that emigration is the highest act of disloyalty a citizen can commit in times of peace and war alike. However, in order to get there, this thesis followed a carefully developed structure that addressed multiple hypotheses. The first task was to prove the effect of the listed...
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Thematization of human in the work of Rudolf Ina Malý
Skládalová, Eliška ; Chavalka, Jakub (advisor) ; Šenovský, Jakub (referee)
The thesis deals with the work of the Czech writer, philosopher and diplomat Rudolf Ina Malý. The aim of the study is to analyze how a man is conceived in the author's work, how Malý understands the spiritual crisis of man and how he copes with it, and what alternative solutions he proposes. In doing so, the work presents and reflects on the development of Rudolf Ina Malý's thoughts. A chapter is also devoted to a confrontation with the philosophers Emanuel Rádl and Emil Svoboda. Keywords: Rudolf Ina Malý, fascism, democracy, Jesus, man, Emil Svoboda.
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Democratic erosion in the world
Nehoda, Marek ; Guasti, Petra (advisor) ; Perottino, Michel (referee)
This thesis deals with democratic erosion, mainly in form of executive aggrandizement. Thesis is based on the theory of Nancy Bermeo, who defined and started to scholarly deal with the issue of aggrandizement. Methodologically, this work uses the principles of a case study, with individual case studies being Hungary, Nicaragua, Thailand, Turkey, Mali, and Armenia, in which the subject of research is the phenomenon of executive aggrandizement in each branch of power during the years 2008 to 2018. The research questions are answered thanks to systematic analysis of branches of power within case studies. The result is discovery that across different political systems and regions there are common features in the examined cases. In all cases, except Thailand, there is a unicameral parliament present, and that the institution aggrandized first is usually the one that can threaten the continuity of executive mandate the most. Furthermore, it is possible to generalize the signs of democratic erosion. These particularly include - unconstitutional activities, manipulation of the electoral process, limitation of powers or gaining control over the legislation/judiciary/executive, etc. Finally, executive aggrandizement occurs the most over the judicial power, where research shows that the judiciary most often...
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Transforming Democracy in the Digital Age: The Cambridge Analytica and Facebook Scandal
Tomšů, Adriana ; Šindelář, Jakub (advisor) ; Mejstřík, Martin (referee)
This bachelor's thesis focuses on the issue of the adaptation of democracy to the increasing influence of digitization. First, in the introductory part, the context is set in the ongoing debate about the given issue within the experts. After that, key concerns about democracy in the digital age, the attitudes of optimists and pessimists, and the possibilities of using social networks in political campaigns are presented. Subsequently, the practical part contains qualitative research, which is carried out using the case study method. The chosen case study is the misuse of data in the Brexit campaign, also known as the "Cambridge Analytica & Facebook scandal". The final part deals with the reaction of the European Union and the attitude towards the current measures. The aim of the thesis is to point out the issue of misuse of digital platforms in the framework of political campaigns and the violation of the basic principles of democracy. The thesis seeks an answer to the main research question leaked in the introduction: "Can we consider the way in which the European Union responded to the growing influence of technology in political campaigns to be sufficient?". Based on the obtained data and a detailed analysis of the given case study, this thesis concludes that the current measures in connection...
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