V dvojroli historika i zaujatého obhájce: Rozporuplné svědectví o komunistických politických procesech
In the Dual Role of Historian and Biased Advocate: Conflicting Testimonies about Communist Political Trials

Summary/Abstract: In his book "Anatomie komunismu: Příběh jedné rodiny" [Anatomy of Communism: A History of a Family] (Prague, Karolinum 2022), the renowned Czech sociologist Martin Potůček attempts to provide a summary of the grim fate of his parents – František Potůček (1913–1995), a physician, anti-Nazi communist resistance member, prisoner and civil servant, and Jarmila Taussigová-Potůčková (1914–2011), his mother. Taussigová was also an anti-Nazi communist resistance member and prisoner. She later became a high-ranking official and member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (Komunistická strana Československa, KSČ) leadership but ultimately fell victim to the search for enemies within the party at the peak of Stalinism. She was arrested in 1951 and sentenced to twenty-five years for treason; however, she was released under amnesty in 1960. Following her rehabilitation, she became an active proponent of the rehabilitation of other political prisoners and also pursued a career as a writer. The author draws on his own experience, as well as findings from family and public archives, and recollections of his parents and other individuals. The result resembles a written collage or mosaic, which, according to the reviewer, is highly contradictory, at least from a historian’s perspective. The author’s stated objective was to meet the criteria for a historical work. At the same time, however, he was motivated by the desire to defend his mother against historical criticism. This results in an emphasis on her bravery and victimhood, while information substantiating her involvement in the initial wave of political show trials remains largely omitted. Potůček’s book can thus be primarily useful for the historiography of Czechoslovak communism as a specific source.

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