Wayward Actors and (non-)powerful dictatorship. History of Everyday Life Research of mentalities of the agricultural community on the example of collectivization in the Czech Borderland
Abstract
Using the methodology of the history of everyday life allows us to uncover specific course and consequences of the establishment of the communist dictatorship in the Czech lands. The example of collectivization in the districts of Šumperk and Zábřeh shows that a settled agricultural population responded to the prescriptive interven-tions into life with a litany of different attitudes, moods, actions or comprehensive strategies.
The traditional mentality of the population and its ideas of "happy life" defyied the efforts of revolutionary change. Occurring crisis of legitimacy led the leaders of the Communist Party after 1953 to rapid turnover.
Re-consideration of he standard of living of the population has become a necessary step to restore the confidence of the population, despite of all ideological barriers.