Socializmus v Československu ako historický fenomén
Socialism in Czechoslovakia as a Historical Phenomenon

Summary/Abstract: "Československo v období socialismu 1945–1989" [Czechoslovakia in the Period of Socialism,1945–1989] by Jan Rychlík is, according to the reviewer, the first full-fledged expert synthesis of Czechoslovak history in the period from the Second World War to the fall of the communist regime in almost thirty years. Unlike other previous works of a similar focus, the well-known Czech historian and expert on the history of Czech-Slovak relations takes due account of the Slovak dimension of internal political development. He also compares the developments in Czechoslovakia with the situation in the other states of the Soviet bloc. Drawing on his archival research and a rich knowledge of literature, Rychlík questions the simplistic interpretation of the historical processes of the time as a struggle between the communist elites and a society that supposedly largely rejected the ruling regime. In the reviewer’s opinion, some of Rychlík’s interpretations can be disputed, but factual errors are minimal and the work deserves high praise.

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