Contesting communism after its fall: exploring two modes of anti-communist activism in the Czech Republic

• Published in: East European politics Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 6 - 26
• Main Authors: Navrátil, Jirí, Hrubes, Milan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Activism; Anti-communism; Communism; Communist parties; Demonstrations & protests; Political activism; Political elites; Political participation; Political parties; political space; political threat; Politics; Post-communism; Postcommunist societies; Czech Republic
• ISSN: 2159-9165; 2159-9173
• DOI: 10.1080/21599165.2018.1423966

This article focuses on anti-communist activism in the post-communist context. It follows political process theory in order to analyse the basic characteristics and trend of anti-communist protests in the Czech Republic between 1990 and 2011 and attempts to propose various paths through which the frequency of these protests has increased. First, it differentiates between the dynamics of anti-communism in the transition and post-transition periods and shows that anti-communism has become a stable political phenomenon in Czech politics. Second, it defines two modes of anti-communist activism and describes their basic characteristics: while anti-communist claim-making is mostly driven by political parties, anti-communist framing has become a more widespread tool of political activism. Finally, it combines the concepts of political space and political threats to identify conditions supportive of heightened anti-communist protest. It concludes that political elites and their strategies play a key role in promoting anti-communist mobilizations as a tool against communist but also other left political actors.