Expert Networks and State Building: Economic Espionage in the Service of Interwar Czechoslovakia

We cordially invite you to the Aperitív seminar organized by the Institute of History, SAV, v.v.i., on Thursday, 20 february 2025 at 10:30 a.m. on the ground floor of Klemensova 19 in the study room of the Central Library of the SAS.

The presentation will be given by

Meta Remec
Re-contextualizing Suicides in a Socialist Society: the Case of Slovenia

This presentation examines the phenomenon of suicide and societal attitudes toward it in socialist Slovenia within post-World War II Yugoslavia. During this period, suicide emerged as a symbol of deeper societal issues, spurring extensive suicidological research. Despite experiencing significant economic growth, low unemployment, and rising living standards, Slovenia faced a troubling and persistent increase in suicide rates, consistently exceeding the Yugoslav national average.

and by

Tomáš Gecko
Expert Networks and State Building: Economic Espionage in the Service of Interwar Czechoslovakia

After the establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918, many experts from technical professions wanted to participate in the state-building process. They used various discursive tools to legitimize their claims. One influential concept was the so-called technical-economic foreign service, promoted by actors from the Masaryk Academy of Labor. The presentation analyzes the expert debates surrounding the implementation of this state-sponsored economic espionage and its results.