Intellectuals and Politics at the Turn of the 20th Century. A Czech Example
Intellectuals and Politics at the Turn of the 20th Century. A Czech Example

Author(s): Vratislav Doubek
Subject(s): Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: T.G. Masaryk; J.S. Machar; Czech history; political parties; intellectual history; turn of the twentieth century
Summary/Abstract: Using the example of two Czech intellectuals, the philosopher Tomáš G. Masaryk and the writer Josef S. Machar, the study approaches the process of the struggle for influence in the public space. In the middle of the nineteeth century, the intellectual was a very influential representative of the newly emerging middle-class liberal elites. He formulated their ideological bases and represented their political interests. Over time, party structures began to form and consolidate, with individualistic “independent” intellectuals replaced by disciplined career party members. The end of the nineteenth century, in the broader context of modernity, also brought a final clash between intellectuals and professional politicians, or more precisely between the advocates of independence and the followers of structured (party) authority. In the long term, the intellectuals were eventually forced to succumb in this confrontation, but certain engaged individuals still managed to achieve partial successes.

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