Slaves with an Engineering Diploma Cover Image

Otroci s inženýrským diplomem
Slaves with an Engineering Diploma

Technical Institutes of the Ministry of the Interior and the Imprisoned Experts in the 1950s and 1960s

Author(s): Šárka Koukalová
Subject(s): History of Communism
Published by: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
Keywords: communist persecution; Czechoslovakia; February 1948;imprisoned experts; political prisoners; Ministry of the Interior

Summary/Abstract: There are topics related to the communist persecution after February 1948 which have still not been subject to thorough historical evaluation. These include technical and research institutes and design departments in Czechoslovak prisons which took advantage of the work of imprisoned experts, many of whom were political prisoners. Although tens or maybe hundreds of people, often prominent figures in their discipline, passed through these institutes, very little is known about their operation and history. This study, together with the accompanying texts, seeks to fill this blank spot in Czech history, albeit still only partially. It summarises where the idea of specialised and research institutes in prison facilities of the Ministry of the Interior actually originated and how these institutions were run.

  • Issue Year: XIII/2019
  • Issue No: 04
  • Page Range: 3-10
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Czech