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The British monarchy at the turn of the millennium: changes in the status and perception of the British monarchy during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Trnečka, Jan ; Říchová, Blanka (advisor) ; Skutilová, Marie (referee)
The political role of the British monarch has shrunk with the development of parliamentary democracy and today most of the real power is exercised by His Majesty's ministers. Exploring the topic of the current position of the monarch is thus essential to understanding the process of the evolution of parliamentary monarchy. With the decline of real power, the monarch's influence has shifted to the social sphere, which has enabled the monarchy to maintain its relevance in an age of elected representatives of the people. The main aim of this thesis is therefore to analyze how the Crown's position in the political and social spheres has changed and what position in both of these spheres the British monarch now occupies. By analyzing opinion polls, the works of renowned political scientists and historians, this case study shows that as the monarch's executive power has waned, his emotional status to the public has strengthened, making him the embodiment of the symbolism and stability of the nation.
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Soupeření USA a Číny jako perspektivních partnerů z pohledu států jihovýchodní Asie
Štěpánek, Stanislav
Thesis examines the China-US rivalry in the Southeast Asian region, focusing on the four countries under study: the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The thesis investigates the evolution of current public opinion within the states under study towards the actions of these powers in the region, particularly in relation to threat perceptions, economic influence and general sentiment towards China and the US, in an attempt to ascertain the preferences of citizens should conflict erupt in the region. It then focuses on the bilateral relations of the countries under study with the two powers and discusses the rationale behind the public opinion findings.
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Pro-Russian Slovakia? The main reasons for the popularity of pro-Russian views in Slovakia (comparison with the Czech Republic)
Jaklovský, Marek ; Kofroň, Jan (advisor) ; Žiljak, Filip (referee)
This bachelor thesis examines the main reasons for the occurrence of pro-Russian views and beliefs in the Slovak public. To answer the main research question, the author seeks to use a comparative analysis of the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic, due to their shared history, linguistic and cultural similarities, but different values in relation to the support of pro-Russian and anti-Western views in their publics. The thesis comes up with several hypotheses of possible reasons for the increased prevalence of these views among Slovak citizens, which the thesis tests using a comparative analysis of public opinion and its own content analysis of the output of politicians in the Slovak and Czech Republics. Using the first hypothesis, the author tests the influence of political elites in the Czech Republic and Slovakia on public opinion. Political elites are assigned to the respective category after content analysis of their outputs and after measuring their popularity through the latest election results. By testing hypotheses 2 and 3, the thesis examines how distrust in the media and belief in conspiracy theories, on the one hand, and the collective memory of the citizens of the two countries under study, on the other hand, influence the possible emergence of pro-Russian and anti-Western views in...
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Climate Skepticism in the Czech Republic: Countermovement and Its Strategies
Vidomus, Petr ; Loužek, Marek (advisor) ; Strmiska, Maxmilián (referee) ; Vráblíková, Kateřina (referee)
The climate change skepticism has been becoming a more and more distinct and apparently increasing social phenomenon. To date, western scholars have described the different forms it can take and the factors supporting its increase. In the recent years, we've been observing some signs of a similar trend in the Czech Republic because the number of people who find the anthropogenic climate changes significant has been decreasing and the proportion of the "skeptic population" has been growing. Although in the first part of this paper I present an overview of data concerning the "public climate change skepticism" (available poll data), its primary focus is on the research of activities carried out by individuals and groups that relativize the importance of climate changes constantly, publically and in a more or less organized manner. In such case we can talk about a certain form of a countermovement against the environmentalism and the mainstream climatology. This paper draws mainly from a qualitative study conducted between 2011 and 2014 by means of semi-structured interviews with active Czech climate change skeptics. The goal of the study was to describe the strategies of climate change skeptics actions in the changing political and discursive environment, the forms of their organization and the...
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Irish and Swiss approach to their neutrality after February 2022
Kloužková, Eliška ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Šlosarčík, Ivo (referee)
After Russia's aggression in 2022, many countries, including the neutral nations of Switzerland and Ireland, had to reconsider their approaches to European security. This work examines how the neutrality and approach to NATO and the EU of both countries changed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and simultaneously compares the two countries. The text is a comparative case study that explores and compares these states using a custom model. The model has three factors: the legal framework, the relationship with the EU and NATO, and public opinion. The results showed that Ireland intends to change the triple lock mechanism, but neither state plans any intervention in their neutrality. Changes in relations with the EU and NATO indicate that the countries are aiming for more integrated and deeper cooperation, with these changes being both qualitative and quantitative. A common theme is defense, while other topics are more specific. Similar conclusions are drawn from public opinion surveys. Respondents in both countries have a positive attitude toward neutrality, do not wish to abandon it, but understand the need for cooperation with other states. It can be concluded that neither country has undergone major changes, such as joining NATO or altering their neutrality, after February 2022, nor are...
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War on Terror: How did war on terrorism change american society and political events?
Sobotka, Tomáš ; Szobi, Pavel (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
This paper focuses on the social and political background of the American War on Terror policy, specifically on the operation Neptune Spear leading to the targeted killing of Osama bin Laden, one of the leading personas of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. The introductory part states the research questions, the hypothesis and methodology and defines the term terrorism. It also outlines the problematics of obtaining relevant sources, since many of them still fall under top secret classification and have never been published. Furthermore, it informs about the historical background of War on Terror, reminds about the events of 11. September 2001 and describes the process of searching for and killing of Osama bin Laden. It also serves as a foreword to the research part. The research part itself then analyzes available source materials related to Neptune Spear. Primary sources include the official statement of the then President Barack Obama, the stance of the government, press conference and comments of Obama's predecessors, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the original initiator of the War on Terror policy. Next, it analyzes the mood of American society through academic literature, archives of traditional and contemporary media, published articles, public opinion polls and others. The summary...
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The phenomenon of single motherhood in the online space and public opinion
Němcová, Barbora ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Vocásek, Tibor (referee)
The topic of this thesis is analysing the differences in attitudes towards single mothers in public opinion and media representation. The theoretical part draws on the concepts of feminization of poverty, stigmatization, and agenda-setting theory. The thesis utilizes quantitative methods - factor analysis and contingency table analysis of public opinion (with data from VÚPSV 2019) and content analysis of online articles (326). The analysis of public opinion revealed a diversity of attitudes towards single mothers, with women, single and divorced individuals exhibiting greater support for single-parent parenting and state financial assistance, while men, married individuals, and older respondents tended to disagree. A general tendency to support financial assistance for single mothers was observed. Quantitative content analysis of online articles indicated that the media representation of single mothers is predominantly non- stigmatizing or positive (56%). Despite the prevalence of a non-stigmatizing image in the media, there remains a tendency towards homogenization and stereotyping of single mothers as victims of gender and structural inequalities. The media image reproduces the notion of single mothers as victims dependent on financial assistance, which aligns with the concept of the feminization...
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