Czech Republic

1397 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of industrialization on the environment

Introduction:
In 1989 the Velvet Revolution started the fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia. In the 28th of November the Communist party gave up power and ended it the single party government that ruled over Czechoslovakia. In 1993 the country split and the Czech Republic formed, as did Slovakia. With this new freedom and formation of a country made up of a majority of ethnic Czech people the future seemed bright. However, even thought the Czech Republic was free from communist oppression, it still faced important challenges, including forming a capitalist economy after years of dependency on the Soviet Union and trying to fix the numerous environmental problems that were caused by industrialization during communism. In this paper, I argue that despite initial economic success, the Czech Republic’s switch to a capitalist economy was unsuccessful, but that the Czech Republic was successful in reversing the environmental impacts during the communist era. My argument proceeds as follows. First, I outline the economic changes that the Czech Republic underwent from its independence in 1989 to the present, documenting its initial success and then describing what led to the economic downturn it undertook. Secondly, I describe the ecological damages that were caused by communist-enforced industrialization and what the Czech Republic underwent to reverse these damages. Finally, I conclude by summarizing the failures of the Czech Republics economy and the success of its environmental programs, and the effects that these failures and successes had on the Czech Republic’s transition into a liberal democracy.
Historical Background of Czechoslovakia’s economy:
I believe that to get a full picture of the reasons for the Czech Republics failure ...

... middle of paper ...

...at due to the fact these new people did not have the regional identification with the land, they allowed the communist party to exploit its natural resources and industrialize rapidly without any concern for the environmental effects. In addition to this lack of connection with the land, there was also an environmental issue with the source of power that was fueling most of the country. Brown coal was mined extensively in north Bohemia and was used to power industry within Czechoslovakia. Communist officials noted major environmental problems in Bohemia as early as 1960, and they only increased from there. One of the most notorious incidents was in 1982, when smog was so bad traffic had to be stopped. The smog was consistent in the area and led to respiration problems among children and the regions life expectancy was 3 to 5 years shorter then less polluted areas.

Show More
Related

  • Democratic Revolution At The Cold War's End Summary

    1702 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the 20th century, the rise of communism sparked rage in people throughout the world. More towards the end of the 1900's the fall of communism and dictatorships was just the beginning of what would eventually be a large democratic change for several countries. 1989: Democratic Revolutions at the Cold War's End, speaks about the change brought to several different countries from the 1980's-1990's and plans to show "the global transformations that marked the end of the cold war and shaped the era in which we live"(Pg V). During the cold war, communist had power and control over a large area and spread communism throughout several continents. This book specifically hits on six different studies of where communism and dictatorship affected these areas and what they did to stop it. Poland, Philippines, Chile, South Africa, Ukraine, and China throughout the end of the 20th century created revolutionary movements which brought them all one step closer to freeing themselves and creating democratic change.

    Read More

  • East Central Europe Between the Two World Wars by Joseph Rothschild

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    “East Central Europe between the Two World Wars,” written by Joseph Rothschild, is ninth volume of the 11-volume series of books written about the history of East Central Europe. Each book in the series provides study of specific period of time in different historical context and this particular volume concentrates on the countries of East Central Europe in the interwar period. The book is rich with detailed information about each state-nation that was established in the given period and it tries to identify important political as well as socioeconomic issues that were experienced in the region.

    Read More

  • The Rise of Communism in Russia against the Rise of Communism in China

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    Turin, S. P. "The Second Five Year Plan." The Slavonic and East European Review 11.31 (1932): 58-64. Print.

    Read More

  • The Magic Lantern Analysis

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the fall of 1989, people all around the world were watching unbelievable scenes on their televisions. Thousands of people in eastern Europe were meeting in the streets and squares and demanding the end of the communist rule. For the first time in history, opposition to communism was publicly voiced. Barbed wire border fences in Hungary are being torn down. East Germans fleeing to the West.

    Read More

  • spain

    2541 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Spaniard civilization can date all the way back to the Stone Age. Because of its agricultural wealth, Spain was acknowledged to have people occupy its land approximately 32,000 years ago. In A.D. 409, Spain was overrun by German invaders, but they were later forced out of the country and into Africa by a group called the Visigoths. The Visigoths, however, would soon lose control over Spain from a battle lost by the Byzantine Empire in 507. By 585, they would regain control over Spain and lived side by side under two separate laws between themselves and the Spaniards. In 711, North African Moors sailed across the straits, swept into Andalusia, and within a few years, pushed the Visigoths up the peninsula to the Cantabrian Mountains.

    Read More

  • The Fall of Communism in Poland

    2919 Words  | 6 Pages

    of the beginning of the fall of Communism in Poland. The Communist government saw that the

    Read More

  • History Of The Prague Spring Of 1968

    2070 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the years leading up to the Prague Spring, Antonín Novotný governed Czechoslovakia. He openly supported Stalinism, and under his power, the people of Czechoslovakia suffered from fierce government regulations, censorship and poor leadership decisions. Although he led the process of de-Stalinization (since Stalin’s death in 1953), the pace of change was extremely slow and thus the people called for more reforms. In May of 1966 the Czechoslovakians began to complain that the Soviets were exploiting them, this was the first spark that eventually lead to the flame of his overthrow. Furthermore, Czechoslovakia was an industrialized nation and the Soviet’s model of economy did not suit them, in fact it hurt Czechoslovakians, and lead to a decline in their economy. In fact, the conditions for the working class were a...

    Read More

  • Russian Revolution Essay

    2340 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...eeded in putting communism on the political map of the world. Governments across Europe and Latin America emulated Stalin and instituted their own brands of communism within their respective countries. Yet, what was to be the permanent revolution, has infected and affected the world for almost an entire century. Every year since 1917 has seen people in revolt. Economics, austerity, and political corruption have been the common causes of popular uprisings across the world, and whether the revolutions have been peaceful or violent, the result has nearly always been a change in the political structure and the redrawing of boundary lines. The continued presence of Russian-backed revolutions combined with the cries of the European people for independence and security reflect the ongoing influence of the Russian Revolution on the whole of Europe and, possibly, the world.

    Read More

  • Cold War

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    The by-products of these policies brought forth the collapse of the communistic countries(around 89 -90 ). This lead to the establishment of non-communist political parties, free elections, and the development of a new democratic state.

    Read More

  • Positives And Effects Of Communism

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    The rise of communism in the Soviet Union and China in the 20th century had both gains and costs in each country. Some of these gains benefited society as a whole in terms of economic improvement and rapid industrialization. However, with these gains came many costs that affected millions of people all around the world, not just in the Soviet Union and China. While the main ideas of communism were about spreading equality and making society an equal place to live, most citizens of these countries found the idea of communism to be unfair, serving no benefits to society, such as the taking and redistributing of land so that all peasants could have their own land to produce goods on. Even though the effects of communism in China and the Soviet

    Read More

  • The History And History Of Czechoslovakian Ice Hockey

    2785 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...d 1950’s Czechoslovakia was considered a world power. If they had stayed as one nation there is an argument to be made that they could have been the best nation in the world when it comes to ice hockey. There have been several incredible stories to come out of Czechoslovakian ice hockey, along with several incredible players and teams along the way. The Czech hockey players definitely suffered a few bumps in the road, such as tragedy and legal issues, but they also had many positives. They expanded the game across their nation to be considered a world power at one point, and that legacy has carried over to the future. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have taken things from hockey in Czechoslovakia and expanded it to their individual nations. Overall it is pretty incredible what Czechoslovakia went through in the process of developing into a very strong hockey nation.

    Read More

  • The Marshall Plan

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    By raising the standard of living in these nations, citizens did not look elsewhere to relieve their economic struggles (Hogan). Following the fall of Czechoslovakia to communism in 1948, no other European Nation fell to communism (Constitutional). There is propaganda from this time period, such as the propaganda located in the appendix, that suggests the Marshall Plan did achieve success in stopping communism from spreading into Western European economies (Clare). One German Politian praised the Marshall saying, "The Marshall Plan contributed directly to Europe’s economic recovery, to restoring morale, and to the containment of communism” (Wallace).

    Read More

  • Uruguay

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Uruguay republic, in east central South America, is the second smallest country on the continent. This country is bounded on the north by Brazil, on the east by Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and the Río de la Plata, and on the west by Argentina. The Uruguay River forms Uruguay's western boundary in full. Uruguay's land mass in whole is a small 176,215 sq km. Uruguay's capital city is Montevideo which is the main port, and economic center of the country. The currency of Uruguay is the peso uruguayos (7.97 peso uruguayos equal U.S.$1). This country's main sport entertainment is soccer.

    Read More

  • Benefits Of The Industrial Revolution

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, more industrialization meant more factories, and more factories led to more pollution. The waste produced by factories was expelled into the water as well as into the air, as described by Professor Michael Faraday (Document 1). Faraday was greatly affected by the contamination of the air and water that he observed because never before had anyone seen such filth in nature. In addition, Document 6 portrays the filth of the city from the factories. This filth was a curse to all people because they became more prone to disease due to the increase in contaminants in the air and the decrease of air quality. Furthermore, the Industrial Revolution also decreased the living standards of workers (OI: “Urbanization”). Poor families were forced to live in small tenements because they could not afford to live an extravagant life. These tenements lacked in many ways, including space and sanitation. Due to the packed conditions, diseases spread rapidly. Overall, the housing of the working class was unpleasant and many fell ill to diseases because the risk of developing a disease in a cramped environment was higher. In Document 2, it is evident that the tenements were not an ideal living space. Document 6 portrays that factories were ideally designed for the machines and not for the workers, and as a result the working conditions were also harsh. Working shifts were beyond the control of the workers and the job was not necessarily stable because workers could be fired at any time for any reason (OI: “Working Conditions”). Moreover, the working environment was cramped and caused many problems to arise, such as the death of workers. The working class suffered greatly from the consequences of the Industrial Revolution. However, they also experienced many improvements in life such as the decrease in

    Read More

  • South Africa

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    South Africa is a nation with a wonderful and varied culture. This country has been called “The Rainbow Nation”, a name that reflects the diversity of such amazing place. The different ethnic and cultural groups of the South Africa do, however, appreciate their own beliefs and customs. Many of these traditions, besides African culture, are influenced by European and Western heritage. The complex and diverse population of the country has made a strong impact to the various cultures. There are forty-five million people; about thirty million are black, five million white, three million coloured and one million Indians. The black population has a large number of rural people living in poverty. It is among these inhabitants that cultural customs are preserve the most.

    Read More

More about Czech Republic

Open Document