Intelektuáli na Slovensku v rokoch 1948 - 1989 a premena ich vzťahu ku KSČ
Slovak intellectuals and evolution of their relations to the Communist party of Czechoslovakia from 1948 till 1989

Author(s): Norbert Kmeť
Subject(s): Political history, Social history, Recent History (1900 till today), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
Published by: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
Keywords: Czechoslovakia; 20th century; postwar period; communist party; Slovak intellectuals;
Summary/Abstract: At least till 19th century an argument has been led about who is or is not an intellectual and what is his role in the society. Vague definition of “intelligence” and “intellectual” is also a part of this discussion. There are in fact many definitions of the word “intellectual”. A basic determination of an intellectual is to express his thoughts on social, political and cultural issues of the society and the era. He presumes that he is going to influence the society and he expresses various views on policy and power. Most of the intellectuals were interested in having their own position of power. In case of the relationship intellectual-power (not only a communist power) resulted in most cases in the personal and public disillusion from actual course of history. On the outside initially profitable cooperation ends with a disillusion of both involved parties. After 1948 the intellectuals not only accepted Marx-Leninist teaching, some of them left it off. After they got to know the fundamentals of the very real and matter-of-fact collective faith, they returned to an individual and reality. There always were arguments between intellectuals and representatives of the communist establishment, form of these arguments relied on the phase the regime was undergoing – liberalizing or restrictive. Fundamental cause of this latent conflict arose from the question of to what degree could a representative of establishment tolerate or repulse intellectual freedoms.

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