Authors

Lucie Dušková¹;  ¹ GWZO, Germany

Discussion

The concept of the Socialist work discipline was among new principles of working and living that the Communist party of Czechoslovakia sought to introduce after it came to power. The concept consisted of several norms and values that expressed the communist perspective on how the post-World War Two Czechoslovak society should evolve. It was embedded in the Constitution and the Labour Code, so it influenced the work culture, the method of remuneration, the working time, the status of individual professions, and many other work and life spheres. Nevertheless, in practice, it headed many practical challenges connected with the economic reality of the state-socialist planned economy.

This paper intends to explore the meaning of the term Socialist work discipline in its ideo-economical context as well as its concrete impacts on some spheres of life and work. As one of the targets for the communists was to familiarize people with the concept, so they would change their working and living practices, the paper will discuss its representations, especially in public space, such as in popular culture or student manuals. The time frame here is focused on the 1960s when the Communist party rule was already stabilized, and Czechoslovakia adopted the new Labour Code.