Czech Social Democracy and its "cohabitation" with the Communist Party: The story of a neglected affair

In: Communist and post-communist studies, Band 41, Heft 3, S. 317-338

Abstract

This article attempts to analyze developments within the Czech Left after 1989. Primarily, the authors focus on two questions: (1) How did the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) achieve its dominance of the Left? (2) What is the relationship between the Social Democrats and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM)? We conclude that the unsuccessful attempt to move the KSCM towards a moderate leftist identity opened up a space in which the Social Democrats could thrive, at the same time gradually assuming a pragmatic approach towards the Communists. Moreover, the ability of Milos Zeman, the leader of the Social Democrats, to build a clear non-Communist Left alternative to the hegemony of the Right during the 1990s was also very important. [Copyright 2008 The Regents of the University of California; published by Elsevier Ltd.]