Acta Oeconomica Pragensia, 2007 (vol. 15), issue 7

Czechoslovak Economy in 1980s

Alexej Bálek

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):45-54 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.176  

The Study analyzes the development of the Czechoslovak economy in the 1980s, which was the last decade of the existence of socialism. It shows that Czechoslovakia did not catch impulses which two oil shocks accelerated in Western countries, and which led both to the technical revolution in sphere of energy intensity of production and to computerization and automation.It documents that growth rate of the CS economy in the 1980s was decelerated and lower than in the Western Europe. The consequences of this trend were reflected in the fact that differences between CS economy and similar countries of the West were continuously deepened.The integration...

Industrialization of Slovakia and Environmental Issues in the Period of the Communist Regime

Michal Barnovský

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):55-71 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.178  

After introduction concerning common features of Slovak industrialization as part of its modernization the author tries to show the envorinmental aspects of this process. His analysis is based upon examples of some factories. He states that all sorts of industrialization have a negative influence on environment. But the socialist industrialization of Slovakia caused even more damage because the priority was the development of heavy industry with its energy and raw material exacting character. Also with building new factories there had been no ecological approach. First at the beginning of the 1970s environmental problems aroused some interest. In comparison...

Illusions and Myths Associated with Economic Emancipation of the Czech Nation

František Dudek

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):72-79 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.179  

An economic emancipation of the Czech nation was in progress in Czech Lands (Czechia) since half of the 19th century. It was based on agricultural production, food industry (primarily with beet-sugar industry) and on narrow network of financial institutions. Czech enterprises as compared to German enterprises in Czech Lands fell behind and their importance was small. However, Czech enterprises fully developed in decade before the World War I and their success was so high that contemporaries labelled it as "Czech miracle". This was not a case of Czech industrial capital share. It is estimated that 1/3 share belonged to the Czechs and remaining 2/3 shares...

The Position and Outputs of Private Industrial Undertakings in East German Economy in 1950s

Pavel Dufek

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):80-100 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.180  

The private industrial undertaking in German Democratic Republic (GDR) have generally showed out lower level of gross industrial production per one employee than state public industrial enterprises. The greatest differences between them were obvious in sectors of textile, footwear and food industry. There were several reasons of this fact: Fundamentally, the owners of private industrial undertakings, notwithstanding sector of industry, did not struggle for high gross industrial production but for profit. From 1946 till 1948 the most effective and the largest private enterprises were nationalized, particularly textile industry, footwear industry, food...

An Attempt of the Economic Board of South Bohemia - Prague at Saving the South-Bohemian Graphite Mining Companies in the 1930s

Jiří Dvořák

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):101-111 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.182  

In 1924 an economist and regionalist Jan Stocký (1897-1959) proposed to Rudolf Beran (1887-1952), at that time the secretary of the Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants (Agrarian Party), a concept of a plan of economic and social enhancement and its step-by-step realization through newly established interwar Economic Board of South Bohemia - Prague. The board followed up with some starting points and attempts from the pre-WWI period, from times of intensive attempts to find a solution to the so called "South-Bohemian question". The programme of its possible solution was defined in regional newspaper "South-Bohemian Region". The causes of complex...

Solutions of Bohemian Unemployment in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century

Jana Englová

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):112-118 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.183  

In 1896 there were 2858 several models of job centres in Austria. The most of them (885) were situated in Bohemia. New important job centre model has rested in special hostels. From 1886 till 1895 these hostels were established in seven Austrian Lands (in Bohemia for the first time in 1895). These hostels have provided two meals and overnight for job founders and also free job vacancies register. The Parliament of the Kingdom of Bohemia passed on 29th March 1903 the Act No. 57 concerning Public Labour Exchange in this land. It was the first attempt to address the public labour exchange to a systematic way in Austria and in Europe too. The number of...

Department Stores - Temples of Consumption. History of the First Department Stores in Europe

Jana Geršlová

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):119-128 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.184  

Origin and history of Western European department stores deals with an industrial society development and with a new role of trade. The examples of department stores of France, Great Britain and particularly Germany approach a "new world" which they brought, the life inside them and their outside influence.

The Czechoslovak Post-Office Savings Bank in the 1930s and in Times of Nazi Occupation

Jan Hájek

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):129-147 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.185  

The Post-Office Savings Bank of Cisleithania started work on January, 1883 with branches almost in all post-offices of the country. As a result, it became overnight the most widely spread financial institution of Cisleithania, having clients even in the most remote places. Its scope of business can be divided into three fields: 1. Aggregation deposits, mainly from small savers; 2. Check and clearing operations; 3. Government stock trading. While the operations in point 1 and 3 were identical with the operations of the post-office savings banks in other countries, the introduction of check and clearing services was a relatively revolutionary step in...

Aryanization in Slovakia 1939-1945

Ľudovít Hallon

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):148-160 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.187  

A part of economic program of the governmental totalitarian regime in Slovakia after October 1938 was gaining control of Jewish community possessions, i.e. so called aryanization. The original moderate conceptions of aryanization from era of Slovak autonomy 1938/39 were extended and deepened. A turning point came after the inception of Slovak Republic during the war in March 1939 when systematic attacks started and included all kinds of Jewish possessions on the basis of contemporary anti-Jewish legislation. Aryanization of a gradual so called evolutionary way according to the plans of moderate governmental garniture wing changed in mid 1940 under...

Zur Frage informeller Machtverhältnisse im Staatssozialismus. Das Beispiel der tschechoslowakischen Industriebetriebe 1945-1968

Peter Heumos

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):161-175 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.190  

Informelle Machtverhältnisse im Staatssozialismus sowjetischer Provenienz waren vor allem im industriellen Bereich zu finden. Ihr Ausmaß differierte von Land zu Land und hatte unterschiedliche Folgen für die organisatorisch-politische Integration der Industriebetriebe in das Gesamtsystem. Gestützt auf die starke Stellung der Betriebsräte v o r der kommunistischen Machtübernahme und dank der schwachen Position des industriellen Managements in den 50er Jahren entwickelte sich in der Tschechoslowakei nach 1948 in den Industriebetrieben ein syndikalistisch eingefärbter, von den gewerkschaftlichen Betriebsorganisationen getragener Prozess der Selbstorganisation...

Economy of the Central Union of Economic Cooperatives [Ústřední jednota hospodářských družstev] in the First Quarter of its Existence (1896-1918)

Ivan Jakubec

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):176-193 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.194  

The Central Union of Economic Cooperatives established in 1896 as Central Union of Economic Companies was the biggest cooperative centre in Cisleithania and aptly complemented the Monarchy's credit system by controlling national finances; it considerably influenced also economic life of rural and partly of urban communities. Through its focus on agricultural production particularly processing and distribution the Union became national economic basis for countryside. Its importance during the World War I increased more in context of provisioning the Monarchy rear, above all Cisleithania.The following statistics demonstrate importance of the Central...

Export of the Czechoslovak Uranium Ore to the Soviet Union in 1946-1959

Drahomír Jančík

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):194-208 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.195  

The study is devoted to the genesis of the Czechoslovak uranium ore industry and its boom in the 1950s. Attention is given to history of the Jáchymov mines and activities of the permanent Czechoslovak-Soviet commission consisting of four members and being charged to safeguard the Soviet influence. It gives an account of participation of the Czechoslovak and Soviet sides in financing the operation of the Jáchymov mines and in costing the uranium ore and its extracts being exported to the Soviet Union as a monopolistic consumer on the basis of the international agreement from November 1945. Until the end of the 1940s the world price of the uranium ore...

The Beginnings of Collectivization in Czechoslovakia

Karel Jech

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):209-213 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.196  

The contribution is an attempt at a critical and slightly ironical perspective on the turning point of the agricultural policy of the Communist party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) which occurred shortly after the coup in February 1948. Under the crucial influence of the Informbyro rezolution on the Communist party of Yugoslavia the KSČ abandoned its post-war promises that Czechoslovakia would follow its own path to socialism without establishing dictatorship of the proletariat, without introducing kolkhoz type of farms and while preserving private farming. However, the Communist party incompetent decision in the end of 1948 led to the contrary: it opened...

The Foreign Workers (especially Czechoslovaks) in Compulsory Labour Service at Krupp-Concern from 1939 till 1945

Zdeněk Jindra

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):214-232 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.197  

The study is based on suit-serious measures of documents both from the process with major war criminals and from following process called "Case 10" with Alfried Krupp and eleven heads of Krupp-concern before the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg from 1946 to 1948). The topic of this study is the illegal exploitation of citizens from occupied countries, prisoners of war and concentration camps in compulsory labour service of German war economy. There was a special accent for using Czech workers in the Krupp-concern.The mobilization of labour market in the occupied countries of Europe began to be urgent from two reasons: first, after the...

The Social Context of Economic Reform in 1960s

Lenka Kalinová

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):233-246 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.198  

The study deals with a new position of social policy in connection with economic reform and in relation with former impugning of its role in society. The component part of economic reform conception was accordingly the restoration of sovereignty and traditional mission of social policy leading to mitigation of social consequences of market regulation of economic processes for inhabitants, for example in cases of unemployment and in mitigation of grants in relation to prices particularly in cases of families with children. The proposal of social reform in 1966 and 1968 took into account far-reaching reconstruction of social system which should be consistent...

Prague Police Headquarters, State (political) Police and Its Informers during the Great War in Eyes of the Committee to Study the Police Archive in 1918-1920

Zdeněk Kárník

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):247-256 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.199  

During the political crisis of the Austrian-Hungarian empire in 1893 the land mayor of Bohemia - Der Statthalter - in Prague established the State (political) police to watch the activities of "hostile" persons and movements. It was entrusted to recruit and control informers. State Police recruited and promoted to the position of its Chief Officer (Oberkommissar) even two Czechs patriotic families, well educated lawyers. During the Great War there was a widely accepted idea in public that there were a number of Czech top-politicians serving as informers of the State Police. This idea was reinforced by the police effort to move the State Police archive...

The Origin and Nature of the British Welfare State in 1939-1951

Martin Kovář, Jaromír Soukup

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):257-271 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.200  

The British post-war Welfare State originated from so called Beveridge Report (1942). The Labour government was successful in its effort to transform the war economy to peace conditions; the realization of its reform programme from spring 1945, mainly forming the Welfare State, i.e. the nationalization of key industries, creating of national system of insurance and system of social security benefits, forming the National Health System and the attempt to start new housing and education policy, was much more complicated. The cabinet wanted to avoid the fundamental conflict with its electorate and with general public at all and that was the main reason...

The Economic Disintegration of Central Europe after the Great War and the Subsequent Efforts for Rapprochement in the years 1924 to 1930

Vlastislav Lacina

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):272-281 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.201  

Since the 16th century Central Europe was dominated by the Habsburg Monarchy. The hegemony of two nations was opposed by the other ethnics living in monarchy who were fighting for national emancipation. Each conflict had different intensity and ended in different attitudes towards the monarchy.The Great War was a turning point in that historical development. The Czech political and economic elites departed from the Habsburg monarchy and adopted the idea of restoration of the independent state. Immediately after the foundation of independent Czechoslovakia on 28 October 1918, the problem concerning the forms of economic cooperation with the other...

Are the Experiences of the Interwar Polish Banking Useful for Contemporary Banking in Poland?

Zbigniew Landau

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):282-287 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.206  

In author opinion, experience of Poland banking in the interwar period can be useful in solving certain problems of contemporary banking in Poland. It concerns the problems of share of the state in the credit system, as well as its attitude towards foreign capital in banking trade. The author opinion is that in countries when the private capital is scarce, the state ought to remain in possession of state banks to resist the takeover of the whole of the credit institutions by foreign countries.

Dilemmas of Conservative Modernization Economic Policy in Interwar Poland

Wojciech Morawski

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):288-303 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.207  

Irrespective of the changing economic climate, Polish economic policy in the interwar period had certain permanent features. Despite some real attempts to modernize it was in social sense conservative, the main aim being the ossification of status quo rather than stimulation. Deflation, apart from slowing down the dynamics of agricultural reforms, was the main instrument of that policy. Data in Table 1 reveals the clearly deflationary nature of Polish economy. Money supply in Poland was relatively limited, compared not only to richer countries, such as Czechoslovakia and Hungary, but also to poorer ones, such as Romania and Bulgaria.In 1924 minister...

The role of Trustfulness for the Success in Finances (Case Studies of Czech Credit Cooperatives)

Lidmila Němcová

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):304-311 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.209  

In the history of the co-operative movement the credit co-operatives in Central Europe were among the most successful and highly respected institutions offering financial services in the most remote localities with a perfect know how of local conditions and also with a considerable social impact and moral influence. Their role was not only economic but also social and cultural one. Their network was in early 1950' replaced by State saving banks as part of the centrally planned economy system. After 1989 the renaissance of their network besides the existing banking institutions has been made possible by a new law. Unfortunately in the course of this...

The Adaptation of the Industrialization Level of the Northern Regions of GDR/East Germany to that of the Southern Regions under the Conditions of the Division and the Reunification of Germany (1952-1997)

Jörg Roesler

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):312-330 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.213  

The territory which had been the German Democratic Republic between 1949 and 1989 since the industrial revolution in the 19th century was characterized by an industrialized high developed South (Saxony and Thuringia), a rural North (Mecklenburg) and a mixed developed region in between. The GDR governments proclaimed the industrialization of the North to level out the economic and social differences inside East Germany, seen as "capitalist heritage" which should be overcome. The article analyzes how the spatial tasks were integrated into the dominant branch orientated perspective plans which were aimed at creating a national GDR economy after the division...

UNFINISHED: Czechoslovak Economy in the Second Half of the Eighties in the Last Century

Milan Sekanina

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):331-351 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.217  

Over the period of the second half of the eightieth in the last century, a considerable slowing down in the dynamics of the Czechoslovak economic development occurred. It was mainly caused by a complicated international situation, aggravated external economic conditions as well as by a slow adaptation of the Czechoslovak economy to the changes taking place in the world economy. Moreover, there were a number of unsolved problems from the past associated with the impact of economic development extensive factors. Reconstruction of the economic mechanism and of the whole society along with the intensification and effectiveness of production was to bring...

Polish-Czechoslovakian Economic Negotiations in 1947

Janusz Skodlarski

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):352-366 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.218  

The leaders of Poland and Czechoslovakia made the decision about close economic cooperation after they had regulated political relations (treaty of March 13th 1947). The economies of both states were complementary. During the negotiations (from April to July 1947) two sides prepared 14 agreements and they implemented Polish-Czechoslovakian Council of Economic Cooperation. The economic relations assumed the integration forms.

Main Features, Volume and Territorial Structure of Czechoslovak Export during the Interwar Period

Aleš Skřivan

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):367-382 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.219  

Right after the establishment of Czechoslovakia, it was evident that foreign trade would play an important role in the economy of the new state. The narrow domestic market forced Czechoslovak producers to look for new foreign sales opportunities. With respect to historical ties, they were mainly interested in exports to succession states and Germany. However, the post-war conditions did not favour a considerable export expansion hampered by high tariff barriers restricting access to the markets of succession states. The second half of the 1920s became the most successful phase in the development of interwar export. To a large extent, Czechoslovak enterprises...

Czech Borderland Series (Re-colonization in the 1950s)

Lubomír Slezák

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):383-394 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.222  

In 1945-1949, the Czech borderland witnessed the migration of approximately 5 million people - the German minority was displaced outside Czechoslovakia and the borderland was subsequently colonized by Czechs and Slovaks. The result was a completely new national, economic, political and cultural structure of the borderland, marking the end of the first stage of the post-war development of the territory. The submitted work analyses the development of the borderland in the subsequent, second stage in the 1950s. The aim was to "complete" certain measures taken in the previous period, especially to implement the "re-colonization" scheme (i.e. to attract...

To the Economic Development of the Weimar Republic during the Brüning Era

Radek Soběhart, František Stellner

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):395-404 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.225  

Immediately after its succession in 1930 the administration of Heinrich Brüning had to deal with many serious problems. In the economic sphere it had to cope with the Great Depression. Politically, Brüning's government was without the support of parliament, it could, however, rely on goodwill and powers of President Hindenburg. Moreover, it was the era of the greater impact of extremist political parties - Communists and NSDAP. Brüning supported deflationary policy that deepened an impact of the Great Depression in Germany. It led to mass unemployment and growth of votes for Nazi Party. The Cabinet intended to make the best of an unpleasant economic...

Central Association of Transport 1940-1948

Jan Štemberk

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):405-416 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.226  

Central Association of Transport (Ústřední svaz dopravy) was the first uniform organization, which should conjugate and represent the interests of transport as a whole. Development of the Association was connected with a new organization of economy in the beginning of the protectorate. The idea of uniform organization was good and perspective. This fact made also provision for the Association existence after the liberation. The Central Association tried to promote private transport; therefore it had support from members, but in the late period it bore conflicts with governing bodies. Long discussion about reform of economic local government began after...

How Have Come into Existence, What Direction Have Taken and Why Has Been Suppressed the So Called Šik's Reform (Memoirs of Journalist and Economist)

Zdislav Šulc

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):417-431 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.227  

The article deals with second attempt at reform of the Soviet model mechanism and function of nationalized central planned economy. This system has been introduced in Czechoslovakia since 1953. In contrary to the failure at the end of the 1950s, linking generally to K. Rozsypal, first deputy of the State planning committee, this reform is connected to O. Šik, director of the Economic department of ČSAV. This study analyses particularly power-political and gnoseological limits at the beginning of the reform and the development of Šik's suggestions during the period of the so called Prague spring in 1968. This essay introduces the projects of the subsequent...

The American Economy at the Threshold of the Great Depression; The 1920s Economic Policy

Ladislav Tajovský, Tereza Košťáková

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):432-447 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.230  

For a long time during the twentieth century the mainstream economists and economic historians dealt with prevailing theory of basic difference between Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt policies concerning to the Great depression. Nowadays, this contrast does not seem to be so evident. This paper is concerned with some important points of concurrence of these two economic and political systems. The focal point in the analysis of the 1920's American economic policy is the international situation and its substantial change after the World War I. The governments' inability or reluctancy to reflect these changes led to a number of incomprehensible...

Boycott of German Goods in Poland, 1933-1935

Jerzy Tomaszewski

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):448-459 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.232  

Anti-Jewish riots in Germany were the reason for a proposal of economic boycott presented by delegates from Poland at the Jewish Congress in Geneva in August 1932. A similar proposal was presented at the session of the Executive Committee of the American Jewish Congress in March 1933. The AJC proclaimed the boycott only in August of that year. The Jewish members of the Parliament in Poland proclaimed boycott as early as March 15, 1933. This was the beginning of the boycott campaign which was directed in Poland by the United Jewish Committee for Countervailing Persecution of Jews in Germany (Zjednoczony Komitet Żydowski do walki z prześladowaniem Żydów...

The British Welfare State in Times of Conservative Governments in 1951-1964

Stanislav Tumis

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):460-471 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.235  

The study entitled "The British Welfare State in Times of Conservative Governments in 1951-1964" deals with special features of policy of so called welfare state in times of thirteen-year rule of Conservative party. Conservative governments have continued in Labour welfare program pursuing after the end of WWII. Their attention has concentrated on five main sectors: support of full employment, housing, education, health care and social security. The enhanced role of the state in welfare has had both positive results, i.e. all British people have been fully secured first in history of Great Britain, and negative results proving in high spending that...

The Polish Intelligentsia since 1944. Social Structure and Social Roles

Janusz Żarnowski

Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(7):472-480 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.236  

The author seeks to answer some important questions of Polish social history: the course and results of evolution of the Polish intelligentsia since 1944, modifications of the social roles of intelligentsia in Polish society, the problem of middle class in Poland and intelligentsia under Communist rule and in the contemporary Polish society since 1989. The Polish intelligentsia preserved its social and national identity in spite of deep transformation of its social basis and professional structure under Communism. In the Communist party-state intelligentsia was debarred from power, its social role consisted in distributing elements of modernisation...