Cadres decise, of course : Changes of the CC KSČ system of nomenklatura during early spring, prague spring and beginnings of normalization
Abstract
This book analyses the rise and fall of Czechoslovak reform and its relation to the system of nomenklatura. Conceptually, it follows a "pluralistic" framework, primarily using Skilling's typology of Soviet-type authoritarianism.
In the first chapter, I present a description of intellectual context of the emergence of "pluralism" in the field of so-called "Sovietology". In the 1960s, a new intellectual milieu in political science allowed scholars to focus on research areas previously forbidden by a totalitarian model.
Skilling's application of the concept of "pluralism" has probably been the most daring attempt of its kind to bridge the gap between area studies and empirical social science. Despite arousing numerous controversies, his five-fold typology of authoritarianism based on activity of vaguely defined interest groups remains an inspiring and useful device for comparative historical analysis.
Moreover, the aim of this book is to thematise behavioral pluralism not only as a research framework, but also as an intellectual source for Czechoslovak reformers.