Czech-polish historical and pedagogical journal

The Changing Role of the Faculty of Military Leadership in Czech Military Education (2004–2018)

Aleš Binar — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Educational mission of the Faculty of Military Leadership (until 2014 as Faculty of Economics and Management) of the University of Defence (Brno, Czech Republic) underwent since its origin in 2004 to 2018 number of changes. By analysing the structure of study programmes and the number of employees and students, the goal of this article is to identify the main periods in the development of the faculty as well as its role in the educational system. The results are as follows.
The first period was a reaction to a process of professionalization of army, i.e., the replacement the conscript army by professionals that led into decrease of number of military students and parallel orientation towards civilian study programmes in national security. The second stage was influenced by the financial crisis of 2007–2008; that is why a gradual reduction of military study took place as well as serious considerations about the dissolution of the faculty and university, respectively. The third, final, period began in 2013–2014. Its main element was the change of characteristics of study programmes and their connection to the “militarization” of the faculty; reorganization of the structure of the faculty in 2014; the gradual increase of the number of military students at the expense of civilian students; and, finally, the cancelation of civilian study programmes. Year 2018, when personal changes in management of faculty took place together with a consideration about principles of a new study programme, could be regarded as the beginning of a qualitative new period in history of Faculty of Military Leadership that lasts until present day – and as such is out of focus of this study.

Library as an Educational Institution 1918-1968: Construction of the "New Human" as a Discontinuity in Continuity

Michal Černý — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The historiographical study analyses libraries as institutions that work with the collective memory of the nations in which they are located while educating all inhabitants. Libraries represent one of the crucial institutions of modern Czechoslovak society. This study focuses on their research from the perspective of the anthropology of institutions. Within the framework of Czechoslovakia, it analyses three stages of historical development: 1918–1938, 1938–1948 and 1948–1968. The study seeks to uncover anthropological patterns that implicitly shape the structure, meaning and methods of functioning of libraries and their social order. It also explains why libraries were essential institutions for Masaryk's Czechoslovakia and the totalitarian communist state. The study shows libraries as an institution with a high degree of historical continuity and, at the same time, discontinuously changing from a place of education for democracy into a means of propaganda and indoctrination.

The Ukrainian Ideal of Education in the Works of Mykola Shlemkevych (1894–1966)

Marija Czepil , Oksana Yaciv , Oresta Karpenko — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The article highlights the views of Mykola Shlemkevych – a Ukrainian scholar, educator, philosopher and public figure - on the ideal, purpose and content of the education of Ukrainian youth. The main concepts of the ideal of education are revealed: value orientations (God, nation, family, social environment, language, culture, history, tradition); moral (love, faith, kindness, truth, beauty) and national values (the Ukrainian idea, national unity, national consciousness, patriotism, national interests). Attention is focused on the spiritual origins of the Ukrainian people, encompassing the principles of nationalism and humanism; on patriotism; on achieving personal freedom; advocacy of democratic ideas.

Ukrainian Pupils in Czech Schools and History Lessons – Teaching Materials, Knowledge, Testing and Assessment

Miroslav Jireček, Michal Bednář , Jan Moravec — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The study presents the results of a questionnaire survey on the involvement of Ukrainian students (who arrived as a result of the war conflict) in the teaching of history at Czech elementary schools. It is part of a broader research, and this study focuses on the results related to the availability of teaching materials, the knowledge of Ukrainian students, their testing, and evaluation. The results indicate that in the spring of 2023, teachers did not agree on the state of availability of history teaching materials for Ukrainian students. If anything was lacking, it was most commonly worksheets and textbooks. They also often lack assistants for Ukrainian students. An interesting aspect is the effort of Czech teachers to incorporate Ukrainian history into Czech history education. Most respondents cannot assess the historical knowledge of Czech and Ukrainian students. Those who compare them mostly state that the knowledge of Ukrainian students is inferior, citing the different thematic placement of history classes in Ukraine as the main cause. It is positive that Czech teachers generally observe improvements in the history skills of Ukrainian students. They attribute this improvement primarily to the enhancement of their language skills. In the case of testing Ukrainian students in history, teachers most often choose a combination of written and oral exams, usually in the Czech language. Ukrainian students can frequently use an online translator, especially during written tests. Only a minority of Ukrainian students have an assistant available. During the research period (spring 2023), they were mostly tested on a reduced curriculum. Evaluation is usually done using grades, but a common approach is a combined form where the evaluation is supplemented with verbal feedback. Ukrainian students are generally assessed less strictly than Czech students. The results are compared and contextualized with the findings of other research.

The German-Jews' Identity and Reactions to the Nazi Policy

Tamar Ketko — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

In early April 1933, the racist laws went into effect in Nazi Germany. These officially dictated that all involvement with Jews should be severed by keeping a safe distance. On the eve of Hitler’s taking power, there were some six hundred thousand Jews in Germany. They enjoyed full civil rights and were deeply involved in social and political life. The German Jewish identity was clear-cut to most of them, and some were convinced that Nazi ideology had nothing to do with them. The following article, which focuses on the period between January 1933 and November 1938, will present some responses and identical dilemmas of those German Jews, who found it difficult to accept that Nazi laws include them as Jews only. It will describe their conduct within a community preparation that was gradually being formulated already in Zionist and German-Jewish responses and activities. Most of the sources and examples in this article are aimed to observe the German Jewish dilemma based on their dual cultural loyalty as Germans and as Jews as well. Describing these difficulties, and the German Jews' reactions to the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, and after the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938, intends to describe expressions of uncertainty and a sense of detachment that characterizes German Jews more prominently. This article deals with the Legal-Racial Lows experienced as German Jews and its future impacts on their fate during the war and afterward.

Reports to the Military Office of the President of the Republic in Czechoslovakia on the situation in Poland in 1935

Tomáš Řepa — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The article focuses on the military and political reports of the Military Office of the President of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1935. The relations between Czechoslovakia and Poland in the interwar period were not ideal for a number of reasons, yet there were mutual contacts, one of which was the work of the diplomatic corps and military attachés. The view of these reports on developments in Poland was an important source of information for the Czechoslovak President. That is why the reports are quite detailed. The article presents them with a commentary on the events mentioned and with the necessary setting in the contemporary context.

Turkey and the "Key Threes"

Jana Vlčková Musilová — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

If it is true that every country has its own "fateful dates", then in the case of the Republic of Turkey one should definitely not forget about the years ending with the number "three". The aim of this short reflection is to highlight the neglected events of 1963, which fundamentally influenced the direction of Turkey in the second half of the 20th century.

FRANKOPAN, Peter: Hedvábné stezky. Nová historie světa. Praha, Vyšehrad, 2022. 608 s.

Michal Bednář — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The annotation works with the translated version of the original publication. The translation to the Czech language from English was done by Aleš Valenta. The publication "The Silks Roads. A New History of the World" was written by Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History at Oxford University.