Slovanský přehled a jeho přínos k interpretaci dějin Sovětského svazu. Proměny výzkumu od konce 50. let do nástupu normalizace

The aim of this study is to evaluate the material published on the pages of the Slavonic Review from the end of the 1950s to the beginning of the 1970s, including the broader contexts of research into the Soviet Union and Russian history of the 20th century, and the various reflections and interpretations of it. At the same time, broader contexts, particularly the political ones that naturally had a significant influence upon the journal’s publishing policies, are also analyzed. Not only what was published, but also the authors’ formulations, concepts, and the quality of the work all, naturally, reflected their period, which here means the commencement of the normalization era again that again brought an officially-mandated heavily ideologized editorial policy. Just as the atmosphere in Czechoslovakia transformed, so too did the content journal and the requirements for the quality of its writing, and these transformations were all the more apparent in essays dedicated to research into Soviet history, which we could classify with the term “Sovietology”. It was only in the middle of the 1960s that any change was registered in the scope of Soviet-themed essays, their quality was significantly enhanced, and they reflected the contemporary state of the art for research, encompassing subjects that corresponded with modern research trends in the world. With regard to the expanded horizons of information available these essays also reflect the results of Western research and not only for use in criticizing bourgeois Sovietology.