Jan Adamec | Visegradrevue

18. 9. 2012

Sense and Sensibility: The Case of Czechoslovakia

A provocative book by historian Mary Heimann that focuses on the troubled relationship of Czechoslovakia to its German and Hungarian populations after 1918 is titled Czechoslovakia – The State That Failed. This verdict – the state that failed – might seem harsh in light of all the emotions that surround the break-up of the state. Yet it invites us to rethink the origins of states and their dissolution and question, whether states are in fact something more than rationally chosen constructions in the realm of the possible.

Foto: Creative Commons/ Craig Jewel Photography

Jan Adamec

Inside Visegrad

17. 5. 2012

Czech Republic – Paradise Lost or Lost Paradise?

The Czech anthem is a beautiful, yet sorrowful, song written in the 19th century. It describes our homeland, Bohemia and Moravia, as a paradise on earth. It is still certainly true when speaking about the mountains, the landscape, the castles or the villages. But this paradisaical description hardly fits the country’s current political and economic systems. Those are plagued with serious problems which, if not tackled radically, could spread like a cancer and lead to an implosion. Parasitic crony capitalists who make huge profits out of corruption, spinning and lobbying are one example.

Jan Adamec

Looking back

27. 3. 2012

Visegrad before Visegrad

During my studies in Budapest almost a decade ago, our teacher of the Hungarian language, a merry lady in her 50s, summarized her generation´s wisdom with a Nem is gazdag, nem is szégény, poszt-szocialista vagyok – I am neither rich, nor poor, I am post-socialist. She attempted to share her unique “real socialism” experience with the youngsters, most of whom already viewed the pre-1989 period as distant history.