Publication details
República Checa
| Title in English | The Czech Republic |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The Czech welfare state and social work had their roots already at the beginning of the 20th century when the development of the independent Czechoslovak Republic and the citizens' enthusiasm for a democratic establishment was accompanied by a high interest in solidarity, charity and ideas of social equality. This was reflected in the development of the then very modern legislation in the field of social security and also in the development of social work as a separate field, which was taught first in the first Higher Schools of Social Welfare and later also in secondary schools and universities. The communist coup in 1948 interrupted the tradition of Czech social work and gradually led to fundamental changes in social legislation, which caused the demise of the private sector (not only in the labour market but also in the voluntary and charitable sector, in the field of private insurance, etc.), and thus the high dependence of citizens on a socialist state with a very limited ability to solve the social events that have arisen on their own. After 1989, Czechoslovakia (later the Czech Republic) began to return to its democratic roots, including the re-establishment of social work as both a scientific field and a practical discipline. The 1990s, which brought fundamental changes in all areas of human life, was a great challenge with regard to the need for a total reconceptualization not only of state institutions and legislation, but also of the way of thinking of the population which in the last half-century lost the ability to participate in society. This text aims to acquaint the reader with the development of Czech social work (and its teaching) and social policy in all three major phases of its history, as well as with some of the challenges facing Czech social work and social policy today. The Czech welfare state and social work had their roots already at the beginning of the 20th century when the development of the independent Czechoslovak Republic and the citizens' enthusiasm for a democratic establishment was accompanied by a high interest in solidarity, charity and ideas of social equality. This was reflected in the development of the then very modern legislation in the field of social security and also in the development of social work as a separate field, which was taught first in the first Higher Schools of Social Welfare and later also in secondary schools and universities. The communist coup in 1948 interrupted the tradition of Czech social work and gradually led to fundamental changes in social legislation, which caused the demise of the private sector (not only in the labour market but also in the voluntary and charitable sector, in the field of private insurance, etc.), and thus the high dependence of citizens on a socialist state with a very limited ability to solve the social events that have arisen on their own. After 1989, Czechoslovakia (later the Czech Republic) began to return to its democratic roots, including the re-establishment of social work as both a scientific field and a practical discipline. The 1990s, which brought fundamental changes in all areas of human life, was a great challenge with regard to the need for a total reconceptualization not only of state institutions and legislation, but also of the way of thinking of the population which in the last half-century lost the ability to participate in society. This text aims to acquaint the reader with the development of Czech social work (and its teaching) and social policy in all three major phases of its history, as well as with some of the challenges facing Czech social work and social policy today. |