|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Dynamics of Development of American Political Parties
Pecka, Jiří ; Calda, Miloš (advisor) ; Raková, Svatava (referee) ; Hadley, Charles (referee)
Schizophrenia, it might be this psychiatric term that enters one's mind when an amateur observer is asked to describe the contemporary nature of major American political parties in one word. Such an uncomplimentary connotation has its rationale, and, at first sight, the American party system indeed may remotely remind of this ambivalent psychological disorder. Its "Jekyll and Hyde" character can be illustrated by the simple fact that, for example, before the 2000 presidential election, according to a Gallup Poll, 67 percent of the electorate supported the idea of a third party, but, at the very election, only 3.8 percent actually voted for a third party candidate.1 Also, Americans commonly complain that "there ain't a dime's worth of a difference between the political parties"2and they even compare them to two famous brothers from Lewis Carroll's Alice in the Wonderland - Tweedledum and Tweedledee; however, if we analyze the floor voting in recent Congresses, we can discern unprecedented high partisan voting patterns which demonstrate deep loyalties of the individual congressmen and senators to their parent party. Moreover, there exists a common feeling of apathy among American voters because, according to them, political parties are too remote, and they do not address their needs but, at the same time,...
|
|
| |
|
|
Inuit and the Northern Strategy of Canada
Jírová, Anna ; Fiřtová, Magdalena (advisor) ; Raková, Svatava (referee)
This bachelor thesis "Inuit and Canada's Northern Strategy" deals with the relationship between the Canadian Federal Government and the Inuit, especially in the period of 2006- 2015, when the conservative Stephen Harper held the post of Canadian Prime Minister. In 2007 the document Canada's Northern Strategy was published, introducing a plan of active arctic development, primarily based on increased Canadian military presence and economic activities. The importance of the Inuit, real inhabitants of the Arctic, was confirmed in this document by mentioning the Inuit's historical presence in the Arctic as a key argument of Canada's Arctic claims. Despite this fact, a real change of policy, that could help solve the current social crisis of the Inuit community, did not come and the Inuit are still rarely consulted where Canadian arctic initiatives are concerned. The aim of this thesis is, with the help of two main documents: Canada's Northern Strategy and the Inuit Action Plan, to analyse the priorities and demands of the Inuit and the Canadian government, in order to find out if a common goal exists and what the reason is behind the misunderstanding and failed communication between these two parties, which prevents the Inuit social crisis from being solved and the region from true prosperity. The...
|
|
|
The Significance of Meaning Shift of the Word "Slave" in Abolishing Slavery in the United States
Matsche, Denisa ; Toth, Gyorgy (advisor) ; Raková, Svatava (referee)
This thesis focuses on the abolition of slavery in the United States. It examines the power role of discourse in maintaining and abolishing slavery in the United States, particularly the proslavery and the antislavery discourse of the antebellum South. The thesis examines two competing concepts of human bondage which originated in the proslavery and antislavery discourses-that of the slave-as-commodity, the proslavery concept, on the one hand, and the slave-as-human, the anti-slavery concept, on the other. It aims to discuss the significance of meaning shift of the word "slave" from slave-as-commodity to that of slave-as-human, the antislavery concept. Taking into account the very subjectivity of the meanings assigned to the words "black" and "slave", the thesis will demonstrate that in U.S. social and political discourse, the meaning of "slave" was not fixed and underwent significant changes over time. This thesis suggests that the abolition of slavery in the United States can be perceived as a result of "a battle for truth" between the proslavery and the antislavery discourse. The new emphasis on the universal humanity of both "races" in the nineteenth century helped abolitionists link the issue of slavery to a progressive discourse of unalienable personal liberties. I argued that even though the...
|
|
|
The Status of the Jews in the USA and their reception by US society in the first half of the 20th century
Čtveráková, Lucie ; Anděl, Petr (advisor) ; Raková, Svatava (referee)
This bachelor thesis called "The status of the Jews in the USA and their reception by US society in the first half of the 20th century" deals with political and social aspects of jewish presence in the USA. The thesis unfolds from the mass immigration primarily of the East European Jews at the beginning of the 20th century. The core issue of this work is to analyze the developement of the american society and the jewish community, which has been dealing with the new environment. The reception of jewish minority in the USA reflects the american domestic policy as well as the patriotism of american citizens. The key issue of the thesis is the increase of anti-Semitic atmosphere, which arise especially due to social and economic uncertainties. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate how assimilated have the Jews in the USA become and how have changed their role in society due to the Great Depression and the World War II.
|
|
|
The Role of Harlem in the Development of African American Urban Culture: Cultural Capital versus Ghetto
Kárová, Julie ; Raková, Svatava (advisor) ; Calda, Miloš (referee)
Harlem is an emblematic neighborhood in New York City, historically perceived both as the center of African American culture and a black ghetto. This thesis explores the African American urban culture at its birth and analyzes it through the portrayals of Harlem in black literature, music, and visual art of the period. The era of the 1920s through the 1940s illustrates most distinctly the dual identity of Harlem as a cultural capital versus a ghetto as the 1920s marked a period of unprecedented cultural flowering embodied by the Harlem Renaissance, whereas the 1930s and 1940s were characterized by the Great Depression and its aftermath. During these years the living conditions in Harlem significantly deteriorated. The aim of this work is to critically analyze the period of African American cultural boom of the Harlem Renaissance years and discuss its relevance for the period in comparison to the artistic reactions to the experience of life in the ghetto. The proposed argument is that the way Harlem was depicted in African American culture and the artistic reflection of its duality characterized African American urban experience and culture in the period of 1920s through the 1940s, concentrating on the problem of urban reality in contrast with urban fantasy.
|
|
|
Comparison of U.S. and Mexican approach to freedom of speech
Drhlíková, Eva ; Kozák, Kryštof (advisor) ; Raková, Svatava (referee)
Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right which is important not only for the intellectual integrity of an individual but also for the healthy development of the whole society. The work represents both general arguments for freedom of expression and codification of freedom in two different legal cultures. In the United States the freedom of expression is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, which complements the rich jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States. In Mexico, the right is regulated in Article 6 of the Constitution. The work shows how both countries reached the current legislation on the basis of examination of legal developments and cultural values. The values of the societies are presented on the basis of Hofstede's cultural dimensions. The core of the thesis is to compare the legal limits, which is made primarily on the basis of judicial practice of the Supreme Courts of both countries. Emphasis is placed on four main areas which are related to freedom of speech: (i) fighting words including hate speech, (ii) symbolic speech, (iii) obscenity, and (iv) defamation. In addition to the legal limits the work interprets also the most significant actual limits in both countries. Finally, the author examines the relationship between freedom of expression and...
|
|
|
The Role of the United States of America in the Overthrow of Regime in Hawaii in 1893
Vondřich, Marek ; Anděl, Petr (advisor) ; Raková, Svatava (referee)
This bachelor thesis deals with role of the United States of America and their citizens during overthrow of the Hawaiian government in 1893. Hawaiian Islands represented strategic location for the United States for further expansion into the Pacific region. Americans, living in Hawaii, were interested in close cooperation with the United States to empower their own positions. Efforts of American expansionists and Hawaiian Americans resulted in two reciprocal treaties, approved in 1876 and 1887, which provided duty-free import of Hawaiian sugar in the United States in exchange for partial loss of sovereignty. Hawaiian economy reoriented to sugar trade and was vulnerable against any changes in American import policy. As a result of McKinley tariff bill's approval in 1890 Hawaiian Americans lost their advantages in sugar imports into the United States. Their last resort to save their property and sugar business was to annex the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. The thesis aims to evaluate the role of American groups in Hawaii which participated in the overthrow, as well as the United States' governments and their attitude towards the overthrow and the annexation afterwards which differed based on party affiliation.
|
guest ::
