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Hustling Phenomenon in Czechoslovakia
Královičová, Jana ; Vaněk, Miroslav (advisor) ; Krátká, Lenka (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with hustling which was a phenomenon of Czechoslovakia in late socialism and it is neglected in Czech and Slovak historiography. The aim of this thesis is to bring a new knowledge, but mainly a new perspective on the environment of the shadow economy and people who were part of it. The research is focused on methods and practices of how this people ran their "secondary business", and I also try to find their place in Czechoslovak society. The main basis for this research, are interviews which were recorded by using a method of oral history. Beside this, the study is supported also by knowledge and information of literature, archive materials, and daily newspaper. The study presents new perspectives on the practice of hustlers, their motivation to start with this illegal activity, as well as various views on the term "vekslák", and how these people perceive this word and his sense in relation to their person. There is also a contribution to the ethics of this research which is specifically related to topic by its very nature.
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Czechoslovak Housing Estates in the Late Socialism: Ideology, Practice, and Criticism
Sirisornpattapon, Ponpassorn ; Emler, David (advisor) ; Šmidrkal, Václav (referee)
Czechoslovak housing estates built in the last two decades of state-socialism can be viewed as a socialist spatial entity with its own uniqueness and local characteristics specific to the circumstances of socialist Czechoslovakia during the "normalisation" era. These housing estates appeared from the beginning of the 1970s in big cities such as in Prague and Bratislava provided a new kind of living space for the residents. The ideas behind the creation of these estates were not only related to their physical appearance which shows the direct connection to modernist architecture, but also the aspiration of socialist ideologues to make a positive change in the name of socialist modernisation. Although the post-war socialist centralization of the Czechoslovak state and architectural practice endorses the notion of collective endeavour, the construction of housing estates for all as a part of the "building of socialism" program was attacked by contemporary critiques as providing the premises for the citizens' retreat into the private sphere. These estates could be argued to have caused a psychological impact and worked to shape a new lifestyle and mentality of the residents whose lives epitomized the main theme of normalisation-era: the quiet lives away from politics. Different poles of criticism to...
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