Radikální socialismus a jeho návraty
Radical Socialism and Its Recurrences

Summary/Abstract: In 2001-05, Zdeněk Kárník led the broad-based grant-funded project called 'The Development of Radical Socialism and Communism in Czechoslovakia,' which has so far resulted in three essay-volumes called Bolševismus, komunismus a radikální socialismus v Československu (Prague, Institute of Contemporary History and Dokořán, 2003 and 2004). Kárník, who together with Michal Kopeček is the edi¬tor, wrote the introduction to the third volume, in which he analyzes extremist political movements in Czechoslovakia, chiefly Communism and Fascism, between the two world wars, and thus attempts ex post to give the project a conceptual framework. Karel Hrubý considers mainly Karnfk's conception of radical socialism a phenomenon that in certain periods (particularly just after each of the world wars) considerably affected developments in Czechoslovakia, but was eventually more or less absorbed by the Communist Party. The author appreciates Karnfk's work here mainly for having made a hitherto largely neglected set of top¬ics the focus of research and distinguishing it clearly from Communism (including Bolshevism). The treatment of the topic, he argues, however, is not really a sys¬tematic outline, and lacks a precise definition of radical socialism, an analysis of its internal differentiation, consideration of the true influence in historical per¬spective, and broader comparison with other extreme leftwing movements, partic¬ularly in the (central) European context.

• Details
• Contents