Behind the Iron Curtain (2)
Behind the Iron Curtain (2)
Contributor(s): Author Not Specified (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, History, Social Sciences, Language studies, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Cultural history, Media studies, Communication studies, Sociology, Military history, Recent History (1900 till today), Special Historiographies:, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, History of Communism, Fascism, Nazism and WW II
Published by: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
Keywords: Czechoslovakia; communist regime; concentration camps; art; music; media; radio; RFP; Charter 77; CSSR–Occupiers; security service; security; Allen Ginsberg; Reinhard Heydrich; Miroslav Kvítek; Jiří Bezděk; Harry Feinberg; Harry Jacobs; Martin Wenick;
Summary/Abstract: This magazine is the English version of selected articles published in the pages of the review Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History), which is issued by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.This magazine is the English version of selected articles published in the pages of the review Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History) ISSN 1802-8241, which is issued by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. The original version of the journal Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History) is the part of CEEOL also.
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-80-87211-71-7
- Page Count: 192
- Publication Year: 2012
- Language: English
Editorial
Editorial
(Editorial)
- Author(s):Daniel Herman
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Editorial
- Page Range:5-5
- No. of Pages:1
- Summary/Abstract:One of the important functions of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes is international cooperation. For us, this represents not only a source of information for concrete research and documentation projects and support for individual specialist growth, but it is also an irreplaceable system corrective of all of our work. Responsible and purposeful work in all the areas we have been charged with by law, support for democratisation processes, the systematic exchange of experience in the field of anti-totalitarian prevention – that is our mission, both in our own Central and Eastern European region and in the context of the European Union and beyond, particularly within the framework of boosting Euro-Atlantic ties and, for instance, bilateral relations with Israel.
The SOE and Preparations for the Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
The SOE and Preparations for the Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
(The SOE and Preparations for the Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich)
- Author(s):Eduard Stehlík
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Governance, Military history, Studies in violence and power, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Fascism, Nazism and WW II
- Page Range:8-17
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; SOE; Reinhard Heydrich; assassination; Josef Gabčík; Jan Kubiš; Operation Anthropoid;
- Summary/Abstract:On Wednesday, 27 May 1942, at 10:35 AM, Warrant Officers Josef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, sent from the UK, carried out the assassination of the acting Reich Protector, SS-Obergruppenführer and Police General Reinhard Heydrich, who was travelling from his home in Panenské Břežany to Prague. We are at present marking the seven decades that have elapsed since this important historical moment (it really was a moment – about twenty seconds long). What role in the whole operation was played by the Special Operations Executive (SOE)?
CSSR–Occupiers 4:3 - An analysis of one March night
CSSR–Occupiers 4:3 - An analysis of one March night
(CSSR–Occupiers 4:3 - An analysis of one March night)
- Author(s):Jan Kalous
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism, Sports Studies
- Page Range:18-33
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; CSSR; occupiers; Soviet Union; hokey game; 1969;
- Summary/Abstract:In March 1969, events took place in the then Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSSR) that spelled the definitive end of the reform Communist programme of spring 1968. They were provoked by two ice hockey games, respectively the failure to control the situation after the second of them. The demolished office of the Soviet airline Aeroflot on Prague’s Wenceslas Sq. in particular became an unwanted symbol of victory over the Soviets. Incidents at 69 places in the CSSR turned into a clear protest against the reality of occupation. They became one of the dividing lines between the human sacrifices of Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc and clashes on the first anniversary of the occupation in August. The happenings of the night of 28 and 29 March 1969 led to the removal of Alexander Dubček, who was unacceptable to the Soviets, and to the installation of Husák and of an uncompromising party and (according to Moscow) genuine normalisation leadership, which did not wish to and in principle could not allow a fresh escalation of conflict with the occupying power – the Soviet Union.
The Deportation of the King of May - Allen Ginsberg and the State Security
The Deportation of the King of May - Allen Ginsberg and the State Security
(The Deportation of the King of May - Allen Ginsberg and the State Security)
- Author(s):Petr Blažek
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Government/Political systems, Security and defense, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:34-47
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; Allen Ginsberg; US; Cuba; Prague; 1965; state security; socialism; King of May; communist party;
- Summary/Abstract:The U.S. poet Allen Ginsberg flew to Prague for the first time on 18 February 1965, from Cuba. Despite turning up in Czechoslovakia completely unplanned, he made a very deep impression.
In the Beginning Was the Word Were Hells Devils
In the Beginning Was the Word Were Hells Devils
(In the Beginning Was the Word Were Hells Devils)
- Author(s):František Stárek Čuňas
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Music, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:48-59
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; underground movement; artists; music; 60s; Devils; Greate Hells Devils; communist regime;
- Summary/Abstract:The frequently asked question about the start of the Czech underground movement can’t be answered without a definition of what the “underground” actually is. The discussion of this definition, however, still hasn’t concluded. I recently criticized Ivan Martin Jirous (Magor) for stressing too much in his Report on the Third Czech Musical Revival – probably under the influence of the Knights of the Cross School – the role of artists as an element forming the underground community. I had prepared an argument that the underground community, as evidenced by time, was (is) rather composed of individuals who didn’t (don’t) have artistic ambitions. But Magor disarmed me before I could use them by saying: Alright, I was wrong. I wrote it in 1975. So it is quite obvious that any definition will have to assume that there is no underground without freaks.
Operation “Tomis III” and Ideological Diversion - Václav Havel in the documents of the State Security, 1965–1968
Operation “Tomis III” and Ideological Diversion - Václav Havel in the documents of the State Security, 1965–1968
(Operation “Tomis III” and Ideological Diversion - Václav Havel in the documents of the State Security, 1965–1968)
- Author(s):Pavel Žáček
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Security and defense, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:60-71
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; communist regime; Operation "Tomis III"; ideological diversion; state security; 60s; Václav Havel; documents;
- Summary/Abstract:Václav Havel attracted the interest of the State Security (StB) at the age of 28 at the latest, remaining in their sights until the end of the existence of the Communist totalitarian regime in Czechoslovakia. The first phase of his “targeting”, which ran until March 1968 and was organised by the 6th department of the (culture) II/A section of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior (National Security Corps) in Prague, under the codename “Tomis III”, is particularly richly documented. This makes it possible to reconstruct the efforts of the pillars of power to keep the regime going in the period of social crisis before the Prague Spring. Analysis of the file agenda and other archive materials allow us to cast light on the circumstances of the creation of a “candidate agent” file on Havel, which occurred at the start of August 1965, evidently as the result of poor coordination of individual StB headquarters – and which 20 years ago became the subject of media controversy.
From Utah Beach to Strakonice - An interview with Harry Feinberg and Harry Jacobs on the Advantages of knowing Yiddish, the liberation of Europe, the fear of death, and why they fought in the War.
From Utah Beach to Strakonice - An interview with Harry Feinberg and Harry Jacobs on the Advantages of knowing Yiddish, the liberation of Europe, the fear of death, and why they fought in the War.
(From Utah Beach to Strakonice - An interview with Harry Feinberg and Harry Jacobs on the Advantages of knowing Yiddish, the liberation of Europe, the fear of death, and why they fought in the War.)
- Author(s):Adam Hradilek
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Jewish studies, Military history, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949)
- Page Range:72-79
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; interview; Harry Feinberg; Harry Jacobs; Yiddish; Strakonice; Prague;
- Summary/Abstract:Both men experienced Europe’s battlefields as troops with the Fourth Armoured Division of Patton’s Third Army. From the beaches of Normandy via the Ardennes, they got as far as Czechoslovakia, where they survived to see the end of the War. Harry Feinberg talks about the journey through Europe. Harry Jacobs was given his most interesting mission a few days after Germany’s surrender. On 11 May 1945, he was assigned the task of crossing the demarcation line somewhere between Strakonice and Prague to obtain an archive from the German Army that it had kept on the Red Army at the Eastern Front.
I Really Wasn’t a Spy - An interview with Martin Wenick about Prague under socialism, ostentatious picnics, James Bond, and Czech snooping
I Really Wasn’t a Spy - An interview with Martin Wenick about Prague under socialism, ostentatious picnics, James Bond, and Czech snooping
(I Really Wasn’t a Spy - An interview with Martin Wenick about Prague under socialism, ostentatious picnics, James Bond, and Czech snooping)
- Author(s):Jan Hanzlík, Ondřej Šanca
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Security and defense, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:80-85
- No. of Pages:6
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; interview; Martin Wenick; state security; communist regime;
- Summary/Abstract:He first arrived in Czechoslovakia in 1965 and immediately became a target of the State Security (StB). For many reasons. But mainly because he was a Jew, an American, and an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Prague. Dozens of people informed on him, he was monitored at every step, and materials about him run to hundreds of pages. Martin Wenick, the former U.S. vice-consul in Czechoslovakia, has returned to Prague to finally see his file.
Violence Doesn’t Affect the Spirit
Violence Doesn’t Affect the Spirit
(Violence Doesn’t Affect the Spirit)
- Author(s):Adam Hradilek
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:86-93
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; communist regime; Zdena Tominova; interview; state security; secret police; Charter 77;
- Summary/Abstract:Zdena Tominová discusses life in Normalisation Czechoslovakia with the police outside her door, being a spokesperson, losing her homeland and her willingness to “get stuck in”
When You Understand, Your Fate Will Not Be So Painful - The story of Jiří Bezděk
When You Understand, Your Fate Will Not Be So Painful - The story of Jiří Bezděk
(When You Understand, Your Fate Will Not Be So Painful - The story of Jiří Bezděk)
- Author(s):Jan Dvořák, Adam Hradilek
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies in violence and power, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:94-109
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; Jiří Bezděk; music; concentration camps; Solovetsky Islands; communist regime;
- Summary/Abstract:Out of thousands of Czechoslovak citizens imprisoned in the Soviet Union, only a few experienced the first Soviet concentration camp on the Solovetsky Islands. Among them was the teacher Jiří Bezděk. His imprisonment on the dreaded “Solovki” was only one painful episode in his life journey full of hardship that led through Soviet labour camps and Siberian exile to prisons in communist Czechoslovakia.
Thirty Years in the French Foreign Legion - The crossroads in the life of Pavel Knihař, Commander of the Legion of Honour
Thirty Years in the French Foreign Legion - The crossroads in the life of Pavel Knihař, Commander of the Legion of Honour
(Thirty Years in the French Foreign Legion - The crossroads in the life of Pavel Knihař, Commander of the Legion of Honour)
- Author(s):Ladislav Kudrna
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Military history, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:110-121
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Czecoslovakia; Foreign Legion; Pavel Knihař; Legion of Honor; communist regime;
- Summary/Abstract:Pavel Knihař celebrated his 80th birthday on 9 January this year. Many a young man could be envious of his physical and mental condition. But things were exactly the opposite when he was born in Třešť in Moravia. As he says, he survived only thanks to a “miraculous elixir”. A local quack smeared cat’s lard on the newborn’s little body and cured him. Pavel Knihař spent part of his childhood in Slovakia, where his father Josef worked as an inspector of farming cooperatives, while his mother Marie (née Burdová) took care of the household and the children – two daughters and two sons. Slovak schoolmates abused little Pavel, called him a dirty Czech and bullied him. The teacher was not kind to him either. The family came back to Bohemia in early 1939. Slovakia had become autonomous by then; separatist tendencies gained momentum there, and relations between Czechs and Slovaks deteriorated sharply. Back in Bohemia, Pavel’s situation was similar. His schoolmates abused him, calling him a dirty Slovak idiot, and the teacher punished him for speaking Slovak. It was not until the family moved to Prague in the summer of 1939 that the problems ceased and he finally “became” a Czech. Thanks to excellent academic results, Pavel went to the Higher Industrial Chemical School in Prague 1 in 1946. But politics thwarted his dream of becoming a chemist. He would certainly have had a successful career in chemistry, since he had completed his second (and final) year with honours. But February 1948 changed his life forever.
The Rise and Fall of Miroslav Kvítek - The Family Drama of a Communist Stalwart
The Rise and Fall of Miroslav Kvítek - The Family Drama of a Communist Stalwart
(The Rise and Fall of Miroslav Kvítek - The Family Drama of a Communist Stalwart)
- Author(s):Pavel Žáček
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Security and defense, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:122-133
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; communist regime; Miroslav Kvítek; family; Ministry of the Interior; secret police; Charter 77;
- Summary/Abstract:For quite logical reasons, the communist totalitarian regime tried to isolate completely both its enemies and members of its own repressive organisations, who were not allowed to meet political opponents, holders of foreign visas and criminals without permission. The regime regarded all attempts at breaching this barrier very negatively and the response of the state and party authorities to such efforts was often aggressive and exaggerated. The case of Miroslav Kvítek, a member of the political police who participated in targeting “free youth” and whose son signed Charter 77, was no exception.
The Subject of Operation BUDHA – Charter 77 Signatory Zdeněk Kvítek
The Subject of Operation BUDHA – Charter 77 Signatory Zdeněk Kvítek
(The Subject of Operation BUDHA – Charter 77 Signatory Zdeněk Kvítek)
- Author(s):Jan Kalous
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:134-137
- No. of Pages:4
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; communist regime; Operation "BUDHA"; Charter 77; Zdeněk Kvítek; STB; state security; family conflict;
- Summary/Abstract:Charter 77 signatory and State Security (StB) officer – the two positions appear to be clearly differentiated and hardly compatible in a totalitarian system. One signs Charter 77 in support of the observance of basic democratic principles. The other is an employee of the organisation that works towards maintaining the totalitarian communist regime, including the persecution of Charter 77 signatories. However, in this story the two worlds came into unexpected and close contact. The father, a StB officer, and the son, a Charter 77 signatory, opposed one another within the same family. How was this unimaginable conflict resolved in the early 1980s?
Military Intelligence from Libya and Terrorism - The “Oil” residency in the materials of the Main Military Counterintelligence Directorate
Military Intelligence from Libya and Terrorism - The “Oil” residency in the materials of
the Main Military Counterintelligence Directorate
(Military Intelligence from Libya and Terrorism - The “Oil” residency in the materials of
the Main Military Counterintelligence Directorate)
- Author(s):Pavel Žáček
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Military history, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:138-151
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; communist regime; Military Intelligence; Libya; terrorism; "oil"; counterintelligence; Juraj Lalo;
- Summary/Abstract:On the basis of an international treaty between the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, at the end of October and the beginning of November 1977, 625 Czechoslovak military experts arrived in Tripoli. Led by Brigadier General Juraj Lalo, they were meant to assist the Libyan armed forces improve their training and to improve the battle readiness of the air force, armoured forces, and artillery.1 The Czechoslovak “normalisation” regime had no excessive illusions about the nature of its north African partner. The only thing that perhaps united them both was their acute anti-Americanism or possibly their opposition to Israel. Besides ensuring the required inflow of foreign currencies with security forces – in a manner similar to their Soviet and East German counterparts – until the year 1989, they strived to take advantage of the relatively opportune political situation in their sphere of interest for the benefit of their power politics.
Radio Free Europe through the eyes of the State Security Service - Photographs in the dossiers on subjects of interest kept by the Communist intelligence
Radio Free Europe through the eyes of the State Security Service - Photographs in the dossiers on subjects of interest kept by the Communist intelligence
(Radio Free Europe through the eyes of the State Security Service - Photographs in the dossiers on subjects of interest kept by the Communist intelligence)
- Author(s):Ivana Koutská , Pavel Žáček
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Media studies, Communication studies, Security and defense, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
- Page Range:152-161
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; communist regime; RFP; radio; State Security Service; photographs; documents; intelligence;
- Summary/Abstract:The State Security Service officers – including the main directorate of the intelligence – stored the acquired or created operative materials in different kinds of dossiers and files, based on their focus and importance. Materials on institutions of interest in terms of state security or intelligence, which were the subject of the operative interest of the intelligence (e.g., central authorities in countries of interest, headquarters and offices of enemy intelligence agencies, political parties, exile organizations, ideological diversion centres, etc.) were stored in what was called “dossiers on subjects of interest”. These dossiers contained documents and materials related to the “elaboration” of the institution in question, such as reports on the bases of persons of interest, including photographs. Within their individual parts, i.e. thematic sub-files and sub-files of persons being “elaborated” (types), later persons of interest (agent types and enemy individuals), materials acquired via agents or another manner were gradually accumulated.
We Serve Our Nation...
We Serve Our Nation...
(We Serve Our Nation...)
- Author(s):Jaroslav Čvančara
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Military history, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism, Fascism, Nazism and WW II
- Page Range:162-179
- No. of Pages:18
- Keywords:Czechoslovakia; communist regime; special forces; Ctirad Mašin; Josef Mašin; photographs; documents;
- Summary/Abstract:Many books and studies as well as hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles have been written about the Mašín brothers. With the exception of a few partial references, nothing substantial has been said about their activities in the United States Armed Forces. That is why this mosaic of facts, assembled from private correspondence and personal interviews has been put together. It is accompanied with a collection of unique photographs and documents from the archives of Ctirad and Josef Mašín, for the most part as yet unpublished.
Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
(Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes)
- Author(s):Author Not Specified
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Education, Government/Political systems, Methodology and research technology, Management and complex organizations
- Page Range:180-191
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes; Platform of European Memory and Conscience; Section for Research; Department of Informatics and Digitisation;
- Summary/Abstract:New member states joining the European Union in 2004 introduced a new issue to the community of democratic nations – the legacy of Communism. The Presidencies of the European Union by former Central and East European countries have all raised the issue of the insufficient coming to terms with the totalitarian past and brought it to European attention. On 8 April 2008, the Slovenian EU Presidency together with the European Commission organised a European public hearing in Brussels on the topic Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes. The participants called for the establishment of a permanent governmental forum which would focus on totalitarian crimes and of a European foundation to provide support for networking of national research institutions specialised in the subject of totalitarian experience.