Bilance jednoho projektu: KSČ a radikální socialismus 1918–1989
“The Czechoslovak Communist Party and Radical Socialism, 1918–1989” Project: The Tally

Summary/Abstract: Kárník, Zdeněk, and Michal Kopeček (eds). Bolševismus, komunismus a radikální socialismus v Československu, vol. 3. Prague: Dokořán and the Ústav pro soudobé dějiny AV ČR, 2004, 223 pp; vol. 4: Prague: Dokořán and Ústav pro soudobé dějiny AV ČR, 2005, 279 pp; vol. 5: Prague: Dokořán and Ústav pro soudobé dějiny AV ČR, 2005, 383 pp. This article is an overall assessment of “The Czechoslovak Communist Party and Radical Socialism, 1918–89,” a fi ve-year project run by Zdeněk Kárník, and is also a review of three volumes of the five-volume series Bolševismus, komunismus a radikální socialismus v Československu, considering the main publications to come out of the project. The fi rst two volumes were reviewed by Jan Křen in “Silný projekt – slabší začátek – jaký konec?” (A Feeble Start to a Project with Potential: How Will It Be End?), Soudobé dějiny, vol. 11 (2004) no. 3, pp. 127–32. The reviewer judges the contributions to the volumes by theme, and finds several praiseworthy points. They succeed on the whole, he argues, in achieving the project aim of being Czecho-Slovak; the contributions are written by historians of several generations (though mostly younger); and they provide on the whole a considerably diverse range of themes. On the other hand, he is disappointed that the volumes under review do not represent even the start of the desired comprehensive history of Czechoslovak Communism and that the grant-funded project did not entail original systematic research. The development of the project is faithfully illustrated by the twelve grant-funded reports in ten booklets, which also include some high-quality articles. In conclusion, the reviewer calls the project an extraordinary achievement, but has doubts about its future.

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