Socially (humanistic) oriented Concept of Democracy of Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš a jeho koncept socializující (humanitní) demokracie

Summary/Abstract: This study focuses on the Beneš's concept of social (humanistic} democracy, which Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš .formulated in his study Democracy Today and Tomorrow in 1939. It is apparent that the work was written as a reaction to the shock from the Munich Agreement, which assisted in the liquidation of Czechoslovakia and its democracy. Beneš held democratic persuasions for all his life, being with his views close to T. G. Masaryk. In Democracy Today and Tomorrow he is critical of liberal democracy, arguing that in the .future there will be a necessity to change democracy to be more sensitive to social problems and economic aspects. He was aware that this would be difficult, long term task, including gradual changes in the system as well as in thinking of people. He hoped that such chance for morally, politically, socially and economically better world and thus for more healthy democracy would come after the war. His concept represented a democratic alternative at that time in comparison with the existing right wing authoritarianism, extreme liberalism and communist totalitarianism. Beneš was well aware that insufficiency of democracy could lead to dictatorships of various types.

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