The Rise and Decline of Communist Czechoslovakias Railway Sector

During the 1970s and 1980s, the Czechoslovak railway sector experienced political tiredness and economic exhaustion, reflecting the Soviet Bloc's political and economic fatigue. This book examines the failure of central economic planning in the transportation sector, revealing the identities of real stakeholders in the state administration and comparing it to its counterparts in the Eastern Bloc.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 10 July 2022
Publisher: Central European University Press

Once the pride of interwar Czechoslovakia, and a key player in the forced industrialization of the Stalinist era, the Czechoslovak railway sector exhibited the symptoms of the political fatigue and economic exhaustion of the Soviet Bloc during the 1970s and 1980s. This comprehensive book delves into the failure of central economic planning through the lens of this national transport system. By presenting the history of the railway sector and conducting a detailed analysis of the actors, institutions, internal mechanisms, and conditions, the analysis uncovers the identities of the real stakeholders in the state administration. This case study demonstrates how Communist Party institutions and government ministries governed the country, and how developments in the transportation sector, like in every other sector, reflected their priorities. Numerous tables with selected statistics provide a robust economic analysis, while black and white photos offer a glimpse into the technical base of the railway sector.

The book is filled with enlightening comparisons of the Czechoslovak transportation industry with its counterparts in the entire Eastern Bloc. Integration into the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon) of the Bloc could have been a valuable asset, but the records reveal more about conflicts than cooperation.

Weight: 518g
Dimension: 158 x 236 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789633864760