The Rudolf Battěk Case of Nonconformity in Normalised Czechoslovakia

Moffatt, James 2024. The Rudolf Battěk Case of Nonconformity in Normalised Czechoslovakia. MPhil Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (Komunistická strana Československa, KSČ) and informal opposition during the period of 'Normalisation' from 1968 to 1989. It focuses specifically on the KSČ's responses to Rudolf Battěk's persistent nonconformity over two decades, starting from his initial detention in September 1969 through subsequent arrests up to July 1989. The varying application of the penal code, from arrest to sentencing and post-trial treatment, reveals that the KSČ did not adopt a uniform or static approach to opposition. Responses were influenced more by changes in international diplomacy and perceived destabilising factors than by precedents. This study analyses how the regime responded to evolving domestic and international contexts from the aftermath of the Prague Spring to the end of Communist rule. By scrutinising lesser-studied figures like Battěk, the thesis challenges existing narratives and asserts that the regime was more responsive when examining the personal sphere of nonconformists. The period studied has been categorised to delineate variations in regime reactions and treatment of nonconformists. Despite challenges posed by censored and destroyed sources, this research draws on both nonconformist and regime (primarily StB) accounts to explore personal narratives of detentions and trials during Normalisation. Battěk's extensive incarcerations, spanning nearly ten years throughout the period of Czechoslovak history known as Normalisation, serve as a crucial case study for understanding the dynamics between nonconformists and the state throughout this era.

Item Type:	Thesis (MPhil)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DB Austria J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 January 2025
Date of Acceptance:	17 December 2024
Last Modified:	14 Jan 2025 15:10
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/174973

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