Svět disentu a Státní bezpečnosti jako souboj expertů
The World of Political Dissent and State Security as a Clash of Experts

Summary/Abstract: The paper discusses the clash between State Security (Státní bezpečnost) and political dissent during Czechoslovak normalisation, or rather one of its aspects: the expert knowledge that both sides used in the conflict. While State Security was making an effort to improve in the field of psychology and also in its use of technology, especially during surveillance, the dissidents gradually acquired a perfect knowledge of the Czechoslovak legal system, which helped them to defend themselves, at least to some extent, against the harassment by the security apparatus. The paper discusses the approaches taken by both sides as well as how they actually worked in practice.

• Details
• Contents