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Modern Dystopias and Theories of Totalitarianism
Machart, Filip ; Mlejnek, Josef (advisor) ; Novák, Miroslav (referee)
The diploma thesis Modern Dystopias and Theories of Totalitarianism deals with comparation of this two phenomena. The thesis is based on the concept of Giovanni Sartori. He understands the phenomenon of totalitarianism as ideal ending of the axis totalitarianism- democracy. Extreme points of this axis fulfill the role of unrealizable ideal regimes. In reality we can only move closer to them but modern dystopias may represent these ideal regimes. The diploma thesis is divided into theoretical and practical section. There is the analyse of five books in the theoretical section which deal with the theory of totalitarianism. The analysis contains the work of Sigmund Neumann, Hannah Arendt, Carl J. Friedrich and Zbigniew K. Brzeziński, Giovanni Sartori and Juan J. Linz. Each theory of totalitarianism is supplemented by reflection from other authors. There is the analyse of five dystopias (J. Zamjatin - We, A. Huxley - Brave New World, G. Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-four, M. Atwood - The Handmaid`s Tale, A. Moore, D. Lloyd - V for Vendetta) in the practical section. The analysis contains the storyline of the book, elements of totalitarian regime in the dystopia and inspiration of author for the world of dystopia. There is elaborated final comparation between theories of totalitarianism and modern dystopias...
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Y. I. Zamyatin's novel We and its reception in Western literature
Sokolová, Dominika ; Hlaváček, Antonín (advisor) ; Vasilyeva, Elena (referee)
This bachelor's thesis describes Zamyatin's novel We and its influence on Western literature. The theoretical part of this thesis further defines the genre of dystopian fiction and examines its main features, introduces the author, his life and the historical and social contexts of this novel. It also delves into the specifics of other literary works that have been strongly inspired by We. The practical part deals with the literary analysis of the novel and compares it to various other influential dystopian fiction works of the 20th century, from both the thematic and linguistic point of view. The goal of this thesis is to show the timelessness of Zamyatin's novel, emphasize his legacy for the future generations and find similarities or differences in the interpretation of totalitarian regimes in Eastern and Western literature. KEYWORDS dystopia, totalitarianism, 20th century, literary analysis, George Orwell, 1984
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The Sociology of Emil Lederer and Its Implications for Today
Jáchymová Královcová, Magdalena ; Šubrt, Jiří (advisor) ; Janák, Dušan (referee) ; Havelka, Miloš (referee)
Emil Lederer (1882 - 1939), born in Pilsen, Czech Republic, was an important figure of German social sciences. A close colleague of Max Weber and friend of Karl Mannheim or J. A. Schumpeter, he taught at universities in Heidelberg, Berlin and Tokyo. After fleeing Germany, he helped Alvin Johnson, director of the New School for Social Research, found the "University in Exile." Lederer's research centered on contemporary social problems, approaching them in a critical, objective, empirically- based way. One of the first to study the new middle classes before World War I, he also dealt with unemployment, technological progress and business cycles. Additionally, his analysis of state and its sovereignty in war lead him to study the question of totalitarianism. The present thesis first offers a detailed look at the events in Lederer's life which influenced his scientific work. Its central section presents the main ideas of Lederer's posthumous, and sociologically most important, monograph State of the Masses. Placing it within the context of his previous work, the thesis demonstrates the evolution of Lederer's thinking. By comparing the work with Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism the thesis confirms existing assumptions that Lederer's text served as an unrecognized inspiration for Arendt. The...
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Hegel's Critique of Ideology
Korda, Tomáš ; Karásek, Jindřich (advisor) ; Znoj, Milan (referee)
This work explores the possibilities of Hegel's critique of liberalisms and Marxism. Firstly, I define the "Return to Hegel", or more precisely, the way how we should conceive of this return to Hegel in order to really return to him. In second part, this formal definition of return is given its content, i.e. Hegel's concept of state. This concept had been denied by the doctrine of liberalism as well as of Marxism and this denial, as I try to demonstrate, can be considered a theoretical cause of totalitarianism. Or, in other words, totalitarianism can be speculatively comprehended as the manifestation of this denial. Thus as long as we live in a post-totalitarian era, Hegel is our contemporary. The last part consists of an explication of Hegel's critique of understanding (Verstand). The main reason for this explication is that liberalism and Marxism are 'understanding'- theories of state, and because of that, they were not able to conceive of the state as an object of Reason (Vernunft) and therefore, they failed to recognize the state as rational in itself. The theoretical result of this analysis is that Hegel's critique of understanding can be grasped, so to speak, as a 'critique of ideology avant la lettre', if the concept of ideology is adequately redefined.
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Vladimír Páral's works from the Normalization period
Galvoňová, Kristýna ; Peterka, Josef (advisor) ; Mocná, Dagmar (referee)
V práci se snažíme podat ucelený výklad tvorby V. Párala z let 1969-1989 se z etelem k jejím širším kontext m literárn -historickým, genologickým i ideovým. V první ásti v nované specifik m autorova tv ího typu, logikou vývoje jeho díla a analytickému rozboru d l dospíváme k m o n o t e m a t i n o s t i jako konstitutivního rysu autorovy tvorby. Na základ toho se snažíme poukázat na ideovou kontinuitu a vnit ní koherenci celého Páralova díla a polemizovat tak se zjednodušujícími interpretacemi akcentujícími pouze politický rozm r autorova díla ze 70. let. V druhé ásti se díváme na Páralovo dílo na pozadí eské prózy poslední t etiny 20. stol.; autora pojímáme jako ideového protich dce M. Kundery (a kritika kunderovského racionáln -analytického postoje k životu) i B. Hrabalem reprezentovanou "postbeatnickou" vlnu literatury. Upozor ujeme na etickou dimenzi autorovy tvorby, všímajíce si i jejího zajímavého paradoxu stylov -ideové kontrárnosti (novátorský "technicistní" styl, postmoderní vlivy vs. obhajoba tradi ních hodnot a návratu ke ko en m lidské p irozenosti). Záv re ný oddíl je v nován úvaze nad tzv. normaliza ní (oficiální) prózou, jejím stylov -žánrovým i tematickým specifik m, z nichž vyvozujeme postuláty týkající se zákonitostí tvorby v ideologicky determinované spole nosti; rovn ž se snažíme...
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Personality Cult in Turkmenistan 1991-2006
Purkertová, Eliška ; Šír, Jan (advisor) ; Horák, Slavomír (referee)
This case study discusses the role of Turkmen president Saparmurat Turkmenbashi's personality cult as a part of Turkmen totalitarian ideology. The work's scope is restricted by a time period beginning with the country's declaration of independence in 1991 and ending by president's death in 2006. The work analyses the manner the personality cult served the president to keep his power. It builds upon a thesis that personality cult is a defining feature of Turkmen totalitarianism. Using empirical analysis, the author attempts to analyze the effects of the personality cult on the society and daily life in Turkmenistan and tries to clarify the mechanisms of political power and the position of the personality cult within the regime. The cult marks many aspects of daily life in Turkmenistan - politics, society, architecture, culture, media and even the schooling system and history interpretation.
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Polish Workers in Czechoslovakia: Unwelcome Friendship: Specific features of temporary labor migration in the socialist system
Klípa, Ondřej ; Kučera, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Zahradníček, Tomáš (referee)
Dissertation Title Polish Workers in Czechoslovakia: Unwelcome Friendship Specific features of temporary labor migration in the socialist system Author Ondřej Klípa Summary The aim of the dissertation is to study the case of Polish workers in Czechoslovakia who were employed on conditions set by intergovernmental treaties. Most of them were women. This case had two specific features. First, it was highly regulated by both of the co-operating states. Second, the state bodies tried to control intensively both the workers in order to isolate them from local population and the public discourse of this topic. In this study I argue that both of the features arise from fundamental elements of socialist system, which are "economy of shortage" and totalitarianism. These elements were identified in the work of Hungarian economist János Kornai. Instead of totalitarianism as a coherent concept I use only certain totalitarian practices that were exercised with variable intensity, depending on circumstances. In the dissertation I examine causality between these two fundamental elements (independent variables) and both regulation and control (dependent variables). For this purpose I consider the studied case as a specific model of temporary labor migration in socialist system. The case is also situated in a broader...
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The Relationship of Hedonism and Humanism
Jerman, Ondřej ; Jirsa, Jakub (advisor) ; Švec, Ondřej (referee)
The diploma thesis discusses the relationship between humanism and hedonism. However, its main objective is not to explain the terms in their summarized historical relatedness but to point out their internal coherence. The fundamental issue the thesis deals with is the fact that sentient beings suffer from sorrow. Enumerating the reasons why it is important to search for a solution would be a waste of our reader's time. It is necessary to understand that we don't expect empirical science to solve the problem since - despite the enthusiasm significant for this modern period - has not introduced any relief from sorrow. Here comes the opportunity for philosophy and, eventually, ethics. In its first part the thesis maps out the context of humanism and hedonism, studies their apparent as well as hidden nature, and lays the conceivable foundations of humanistic hedonism. The following section suggests a set of particular steps. Adhering to these instructions makes it possible to experience delight and to eliminate sorrow.
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