The change of the political regime in Czechoslovakia, called the Velvet Revolution, is considered as a success story of transformation after 1989. However, in nowadays Czech Republic, the Communist Party still exists – this is the only such case among democratic countries of Central Europe. It makes us ask the question: is the Velvet Revolution completed? The author treats the activities of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia as a criterion for the assessment of changes in the Czech Republic after 1989 and wonders how strong for the assessment of the transformation influences the relics of the former regime. He stresses that transformation in the Czech Republic can’t be assessed on a comparative scale, because pace and effects of changes were different in different countries, as different was the nature of the previous regimes. The author concludes that the existence of the Communist Party is the natural element of contemporary political reality of the Czech Republic, which negates the achievements of transformation in no way. 

Relations between Russia and Central European countries at the background of domestic transformations and global crisis have passed several stages of development: their almost complete breakdown in the mid 1990-ies, had improved during the 2000-ies, but after the crisis in Ukraine has returned back towards the lowest point of the last 25 years. If in 1990-ies the state of relations had been largely determined by the countries themselves, now, in the absence of subjective reasons for their decline, they are forced to obey the new commitments dictated from Brussels. Against this background, the bilateral relations continue to influence the circumstances that can be associated rather with the formation of the foundations of the new policy and its ideological basis. The current situation, and mainly the crisis in Ukraine, as the country situated between us, had put a real call to our relationship. The ability to give an adequate answer to it would prove the maturity of our relations.

Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary established a closer relationship in the late eighties and early nineties of the twentieth century as a result of the fight against the communist system. In these difficult times interconnection helped to develop common goals to achieve. A similar level of development and the geopolitical situation in the three countries activated the society to act. Accession to the European Communities and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was the main priority in those years. However, accession criteria were quite a challenge and only joint actions in this direction enable the challenges posed by the Member States of these organizations. This article presents the beginnings of cooperation Polish, Czechoslovakia and Hungary formed mainly within the Visegrad Triangle, included the difficulties that were to be overcome. It shows all steps in the development of regional relations and the way to democracy and a market economy. The complexity and spontaneity of this process is an important example of informal, and effective cooperation between countries, which has been going for over two decades.

The Polish Political Science Yearbook invites all scholars, researchers and professionals to participate in the 7th PPSY International Seminar "Security in Central Europe: Confronting Uncertainty?" which takes place in Toruń (Poland) on April 24, 2018. The conference supports a special section of the current Volume 47 of 2018 of the journal and its objective is to discuss challenges of security and stability in Central Europe and to present current advancements in regional security studies.

Deadline for application: April 6, 2018, with the Online Form.

Join us on the Facebook: PPSY Seminar "Security in Central Europe"

The Polish Political Science Yearbook invites all scholars, researchers and professionals to participate in the 8th PPSY International Seminar "Public Policy, Sustainability & Good Governance" which takes place in Toruń (Poland) on May 8, 2018. A conference is an associated event of the 2018 International Asian Congress and it supports a special section of the current Volume 47 of 2018 of the journal, and its objective is to discuss challenges of good governance and sustainability in Central Europe and the European Union and to present current advancements in studies on public policy.

Deadline for application: April 22, 2018, with the Online Form.

Join us on the Facebook: PPSY Seminar "Public Policy, Sustainability & Good Governance"

The seminar focused on the Security Challenges in Central Europe organised by PPSY was held in Toruń on February 21, 2017. The leading topic of this event could not have been apter as the last years in the region brought back serious questions about stability and security of the region. From the domestic challenges – like the rise of populist movements; to more resurgent foreign policy of Russian Federation; instability of so-called Eastern flank; through the questions about coherence of both NATO and the European Union – Central European states found themselves in a situation unprecedented since the end of the Cold War. It can be even argued that Central Europe come to strategic crossroads that would determine future of the regions and its countries in particular.

The aim of the paper is an attempt at evaluating the Eastern Partnership from the point of view of the socio-cultural dimension in a broad sense. Do cultural and civilisational factors influence relations between the EU and Eastern European and South Caucasus countries? Is the EU capable of further enlargement? The Eastern Partnership is experiencing significant turmoil (Russia-Ukraine war, unstable South Caucasus) which begs the question of the future of the policy. Moreover, the paper tackles the issue of the EU’s internal factors and their influence upon relations with Eastern countries.

Central functions of strongholds in early medieval societies

Early medieval strongholds had various functions – e.g. symbolic, geopolitical, political-administrative and administrative-fiscal. Great majority were built after the mid 9th century. In the 2nd quarter of the 10th c. a network of strongholds indicates the nascent Piast state.

Centrální funkce hradišť v raně středověkých společnostech

Tożsamość religijna w społeczeństwach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej ulega aktualnie silnym przemianom związanym zarówno z konsekwencjami transformacji systemowej, zmianami kulturowymi, jak i przemianami wewnątrz Kościołów. W nowych demokratycznych warunkach w państwach takich jak Polska, Słowacja i Ukraina tożsamość religijna staje się także jedną z tożsamości zbiorowych manifestowanych w sferze publicznej i istotnych nie tylko w kontekście dyskursu publicznego, ale także w kontekstach lokalnych, tj. tożsamości lokalnej i tożsamości miejsca. Autorka przedstawia w artykule refleksje dotyczące znaczeń religijnej tożsamości zbiorowej w lokalnej przestrzeni publicznej. Są to spostrzeżenia wyłaniające się z prowadzonych badań jakościowych. Zarysowują się tutaj trzy istotne konteksty znaczeń tożsamości religijnej w lokalnej przestrzeni życia publicznego: 1) specyfika roli religijności i religii w życiu publicznym w tej części Europy, 2) kulturowe i instytucjonalne znaczenia identyfikacji religijnej w odniesieniu do tożsamości lokalnej i tożsamości miejsca, 3) problematyka narracji wokół wieloreligijnego dziedzictwa sakralnego w społecznościach lokalnych, która wprowadza nowy sposób percepcji religijnej tożsamości jako kulturowego zasobu związanego z miejscem i pamięcią.

Central Europe – the concept, the historical conditioning, the significance

The notion of Central Europe as a historical region assumed importance after the end of the First World War and again in the 90’s of the 20th century. The aim of historical conditioning of this region was to build the political unity which would be able to oppose the threat from the East and the West. Polish researchers played a crucial role in the research of this region. They even often initiated this research.

Střední Evropa – pojem, historická podmíněnost, význam

Contemporary terrorist threats in the Czech Republic

Terrorism has been evolving and taking different forms since the beginning of the XXI century. It is closely related to the geopolitical situation in the world. The development of research of safety indicates evidently that terrorism currently constitutes one of the biggest threats to the security of countries. That is why the analysis of terrorist threats in Central European countries, including the Czech Republic, seems to be indispensable. It is the Western European countries that are struggling today with intrastate terrorism whose effects lead to destabilization of national integrity and jeopardise social security. This situation is also important for neighbouring countries and international organisations to which they belong, such as the European Union or NATO. Data collected between 2014 and 2019 shows that the Czech Republic has improved its terrorist threat combating system and it is constantly reducing the impact of threats on the situation in the country. Terrorism as a phenomenon, and at the same time a kind of weapon for the increasing number of its proponents, needs to be acknowledged immediately. Its complexity imposes determining ways of countervailing it in the future. The presented analysis is a sort of study on cases in the context of threats with the characteristic of terrorism in the Czech Republic.

The article is devoted to the Grunwald swords and Wałęsa’s ballpoint pen as material correlates of concrete events and objects that can deliver a message whose content depends on the current political, social and cultural context.

On the question of origin of St. Svorad and eremitic influences at the monastery on Mount Zobor. The author of the article refers to the search for the roots of eremitic movement in Slovakia in the early 11th century, which is linked to St. Svorad.

Central Europe is associated with several cultural, economic, and geopolitical processes undergoing considerable intensification in the 21st century. The emergence of nationalist sentiment in this region of the continent coincides with it. This is particularly evident in countries politically dominated by radical right-wing ruling parties (e.g., Poland, Hungary), aiming to reshape the EU, opposing the system of liberal democracy in favor of social solidarity and a Europe of Homelands, rejecting the concepts of a federal Europe, and supporting the idea of national sovereignty. These concepts are taken up by conservative formations of a populist nature, which explain their activities with Eurorealism. The consequence of this policy is the emergence of new visions of Central Europe and the desire to increase the region’s role in international relations. An essential role in these processes is played by the politics of memory preferred by the ruling regimes.