|
By Invitation of Masaryk Institute. 5
Broklová, Eva ; Pehr, Michal ; Vašek, Richard
This collection includes papers from workshops "Elections 1946: illusion and reality" and "The Czech political right wing and the crisis of democracy in the 1930s" which were given in Prague in 2006 as a part of workshops entitled By Invitation of Masaryk Institute. Some papers focus on the first elections in post-war Czechoslovakia (pre-election campaign; situation in Slovakia; election results, etc.); the second half of papers discusses issues connected with the Czech political right and the crisis of democracy in the 1930s (acitivities of Czech Agrarian Party, Czech People´s Party, Czech National Democracy and also views of journalist Karel Horký).
|
| |
|
The People's Party members and democracy
Pehr, Michal
The paper is concerned with the relationships of Czech political Catholicism towards the democratic system of the First Republic. It refutes the generally established view that Catholics opposed democracy. Drawing on archival sources and periodical press, the author proves clearly that the majority of Catholics identified themselves with the system, while only marginal groups were opposing it or demanded some sweeping reforms.
|
|
Agrarian Party and the Democracy (Probe)
Broklová, Eva
A part of historical literature (prior 1989 as well as after 1989) overestimates the rightist character of the Agrarian Party in the political system of the first Republic. Consequently, such literature considers this system as having significant authoritarian potencials. It interprets certain degree of antagonism between the Right and the Left, between the city and the country, the idustry and agriculture as conflicts between fascist orientation and the democratic forces. The essay is also concerned with the relationships between the Agrarian Party and President Beneš. On the basis of archival sources it shows that Edvard Beneš counted with the existence of a reformed Agrarian Party after the World War II. It was excluded from the system of political parties by competing political parties of National Front.
|