I. Politics, institutions, power
The first area of research focuses on the historical studies of political and state institutions, political decision-making, and power structures during the communist dictatorship (1948–1989) and after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. This approach aligns with the New Political History. Consequently, it examines not only the central actors and formal outcomes of political bodies but also the broader social and cultural contexts of policy-making. Beyond examining the composition and activities of political entities and state institutions, the department also investigates their values, norms, and symbolic content. The department’s research is interdisciplinary, incorporating historiographical methods along with approaches derived from political science, sociology, and media studies. The primary research priorities include the history of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, the Prague Spring of 1968, the history of parliamentarianism, the history of security services and armed forces, and the history of political transformation post-1989. This includes the democratization of Czechoslovak and Czech politics and the Europeanization of political institutions and practices within the context of European integration and globalization.
The second area of research explores the role of Czechoslovakia in international politics from 1938 to the 1990s. This research emphasizes diplomatic history, the history of international relations, and the New Cold War History. It examines the Czechoslovak political exile during the Second World War and after 1948, Czechoslovakia’s activities within the international communist movement and the former Eastern Bloc, and its role in the global Cold War. Special emphasis is placed on the activities of socialist Czechoslovakia in the Global South, particularly its cooperation with newly decolonized countries at both the official diplomatic level and through economic and military cooperation, as well as (semi)official contacts with various local non-state actors. More recently, the department has expanded its focus to include the role of Czechoslovakia (and subsequently, the Czech Republic) in post-Cold War international political and economic transformations, including the contributions of the former Eastern Bloc in shaping the post-Cold War international order.
Members
head: Bílý Matěj, Taterová Eva
Devátá Markéta, Dobeš Jan, Gjuričová Adéla, Hlaváček Jiří, Hoppe Jiří, Ivančík Matej, Janíčko Michal, Kocian Jiří, Koura Jan, Krátká Lenka, Mücke Pavel, Pernes Jiří, Pinerová Klára, Průchová#Hrůzová Andrea, Smetana Vít, Štefek Martin, Taterová Eva, Tůma Oldřich, Zahradníček Tomáš, Jemelka Martin, Kurusová Lucie, Ševeček Ondřej