October 17 - Prague

Today we had a master class in post WW2 history from our guide Martin. It covered life under communism in Czechoslovakia. It was amazing and personal tour through recent times.

After World War II, Czechoslovakia initially tried to rebuild as a democratic state, but by 1948 the Communist Party, backed by the Soviet Union, seized full control in a coup d’état. The country was transformed into a one-party socialist republic aligned with Moscow, where political opposition was crushed, private property was nationalized, and censorship and surveillance became widespread. The regime promoted rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture, but these policies often led to economic inefficiency and widespread dissatisfaction. Because the state made it a crime not to work, many people were employed in phantom jobs where they would go to an office or factory and do nothing but sit around.

Martin told us that it was a crime, during these times, to escape from Czechoslovakia to go to the west. It was made very clear that extended family would be punished for this crime against the state. Martin had family in Germany, and they were allowed to visit them for one week each year. But one parent had to stay behind to ensure their return. Police would come to their house before the vacation and check to make sure that nothing of value was being packed away in preparation for an escape.

Martin’s father was approached by the secret police and asked to spy on his fellow co-workers. He told them that he wasn’t comfortable doing this, so they left him alone. The following fall, his sister applied to her university to continue the third year of her studies but was rejected because they had no record of her earlier studies. It turns out that the police had blacklisted her, ensuring that she couldn’t continue.

By the 1960s, intellectuals and reform-minded Communists began calling for change, seeking a “socialism with a human face.” This movement culminated in the Prague Spring of 1968, when leader Alexander Dubček introduced liberal reforms and loosened restrictions on speech and the press. In Canada we saw the results of this firsthand, with the amazing Czech pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.

 These new policies were abruptly ended by the Soviet-led invasion that August. 137 Czechoslovak civilians and soldiers were killed, and around 500 were seriously wounded. The majority of the casualties occurred in the first days of the occupation, especially during confrontations near key locations like the Czechoslovak Radio building in Prague.

Russian troops crush the Prague Spring

In April 1969, Dubček was forced to resign as First Secretary of the Communist Party. He was replaced by Gustáv Husák, a hardline communist. After his resignation, Dubček was gradually sidelined. He was appointed ambassador to Turkey in 1970, a symbolic demotion, and was later expelled from the Communist Party in 1970. Dubček re-emerged in 1989 during the Velvet Revolution, the peaceful movement that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia. He became Chairman of the Federal Assembly (parliament) from 1989 to 1992, symbolizing a moral victory for reformists. Dubček remained a beloved figure for many, standing for hope and democratic ideals. He died in 1992 following a car accident, just months before the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

For the next 30 years, Czechoslovakia was what might be called the Dark Ages, with tight government control over all aspects of normal life. Occasionally you would hear about a sports star, such as the Stastny brothers in hockey or Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl in tennis, defecting to the west.

By the 1980s, the economy was struggling, and the communist leadership appeared increasingly out of touch. The policies of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union, glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), inspired activists led by Václav Havel, to push for Czechoslovakian human rights and democratic reforms. The fall of communist governments in neighboring countries, especially the Berlin Wall in November 1989, showed that change was possible.

The immediate spark came on November 17, 1989, when a peaceful student demonstration in Prague commemorating a World War II student protest was brutally suppressed by police before it could reach the Presidential Palace. The violence triggered mass protests, strikes, and public gatherings across the country. A week later, 800,000 citizens filled Wenceslas Square, demanding an end to communist rule. The Communist Party resigned on November 24, and by the end of the year, Václav Havel was elected president—marking the peaceful transition to democracy that became known as the Velvet Revolution.

800,000 Citizens Celebrate the End of Communism 

Two years later, the Czech Republic and Slovakia agreed to separate and become independent countries.

After the walk, Martin took us for a beer tasting in a pub that was used by students during their initial protest walk.

N.B.  - Photos taken from Internet archives.