Ze studnice informací. Příspěvek k problematice stížností v komunistickém Československu

0573153 - ÚSD 2024 RIV CZ cze M - Část monografie knihy
Vilímek, Tomáš
Fenomén stížností v komunistickém Československu.
[Complaints in Communist Czechoslovakia.]
Ze studnice informací. Příspěvek k problematice stížností v komunistickém Československu. Praha: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů, 2023 - (Pažout, J.; Vilímek, T.), s. 14-74. ISBN 978-80-7494-649-3
Grant CEP: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-02794S
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68378114
Klíčová slova: citizens' complaints * communist regime * Czechoslovakia
Obor OECD: History (history of science and technology to be 6.3, history of specific sciences to be under the respective headings)

Kniha představuje závěrečný výsledek několikaletého výzkumného projektu podpořeného Grantovou agenturou České republiky, který se zaměřil na analýzu proměn hranic komunistické diktatury v Československu ve světle stížností a anonymních dopisů z let 1948–1989. Desetitisíce „dopisů pracujících” každoročně plnily pomyslnou studnici informací, z níž mohly stranické, státní a bezpečnostní orgány čerpat důležité poznatky o náladách a projevech nespokojenosti československého obyvatelstva. Pisatelé do ní házeli svá přání, žádosti a kritické připomínky v naději, že tak získají vysněný byt, nedostatkové zboží nebo upozorní na různé společenské neduhy. Zatímco oficiální média stížnosti opakovaně prezentovala jako „zrcadlo nálad lidu”, straničtí a státní představitelé z toho, co v nich viděli, příliš nadšení nebyli. Kniha podrobně analyzuje nejen vývoj práva stěžovat si v letech 1948 až 1989, ale přibližuje i příčiny, limity a způsoby řešení klíčových problémů, na které pisatelé nejčastěji upozorňovali.

The Czechoslovakian citizens’ complaints, initiatives and disclosures issued in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century are a font of knowledge, which the communist regime was nowhere near exploiting. In a way, it can be said that only today’s socialscientists have been drawing valuable information from the “font”. The presented study describes the authorities’ attitude towards complaints at the end of the 1950s
and analyses their role and limits of use.The study examines the presumed and actual causes of the complaints’ origins.It further focuses on the approaches and reactions of authorities responsible byusing the example of four key groups - supply and services, housing management, relationships in state economic bodies and the situation in transport, which during 1970–1988 presented almost two-thirds of all received complaints. In the end, attention is paid to anonymous complaints, which, compared to signed complaints, recurrently promote the interest of the whole society. Complaints, usually called “letters of the workforce” in the official media, werewritten by various citizens who did not have the social and economic capital to enablethem to acquire the required assets in different ways – namely by bribery orthe help of acquaintances. The typewriter was also used by those who did not like various manifestations of economic crime and newly created social inequality in the proclaimed egalitarian socialist society. Many demanded the fulfilment of the regime’s promises and learned to write in “socialist style”. In this regard, people used “complaints” as one of the effective methods for achieving individual interests, which were not in compliance with the proclaimed ideals of a socialist society. Sometimes, they were even in contrast with them.Although the power establishment considered complaints “a significant manifestationof social criticism”, in reality, it tried to use them to control the state’s activitiesand the economic apparatus. It often claimed that the complaints were “themanifestation of commitment”, yet they were often “cries for help” or signals of severeand complex system deficiencies. The ruling regime also took advantage of the complaints to “mediate the conflict” to prevent unwanted and open forms of protest. However, the problem was inthe delineation of “constructive” or “comrade criticism” and “antisocialist bullying”,as the border was fuzzy and frequently changed based on the foreign political situationand the current internal political development. Unsurprisingly, anonymous complaints increased throughout the monitored period, as the authors did not want to risk an open dispute with the criticised administrative body or economic organisation.

Trvalý link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0343626