The S Word: On Attitudes of Post-Communist Generations toward Socialism, Marxism, and Economic Progressivism

Bc. Anastasiia Korets

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The cultural and historical legacy of the communist regime has greatly shaped the political attitudes of the Eastern Bloc countries. While the legacy of communism tried in the 20th century is far from triumphant and people seem to be predominantly approving of the collapse of the regime, the turn of the 21st century has also been anchored in social movements that question the viability of the current economic system. Capitalism is now often criticized for the growing level of inequality, persistent poverty, exploitation of labor, environmental degradation, short-run profit planning, and economic instability. Exposed to both a load of information on the communist heritage and the reality of late capitalism, the post-communist generation is forced to deal with the dilemma of their political affiliation: in the context of a ‘socialism’ vs. ‘capitalism’ dichotomy, which one does one dissatisfied with late capitalism lean toward if the alternative, i.e. communism, has an ambiguous, if not destructive record in the history of their home country? Forcing to confront that dilemma welcomes a more nuanced conversation in post-communist societies, a conversation that has both academic merit and practical application in how we approach economics and politics while also acknowledging the historical legacy that still permeates collective consciousness. This thesis aims to provide a conceptualized understanding of the attitudes of the post-communist Warsaw Pact generations toward socialism, Marxism, and economic progressivism, to explore the semantic confusion that surrounds the terminology in question, and to advocate for a plural approach to economic scholarship.

Keywords

socialism, Marxism, communism, economic progressivism, Warsaw Pact, post-communist generations, generational history, communist legacy, semantic disputes, sociolinguistics

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 30. 3. 2021

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Daniel Rosenhaft Swain, Ph.D. MA

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Economics and Management

Master programme / field:
Economics and Management / Economics and Management