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Communism museum tells occupation story Posted
July 23, 2004
By ASHA ANDERSON PRAGUE— Prague’s Museum of Communism tells the story of terror and despair that consumed the former Czechoslovakian state from 1948 to 1989. During this time, communism reigned in the region, which was a part of the former Soviet Union. A hatred for the wealthier classes inspired fixed job wages and prices for everyday goods. The socialist government seized control over agriculture and industry, and even forced citizens under its power into occupational positions.
Upon entering the museum, which opened in 2002, one cannot help but feel the stern nature of the communist era in every red star or sickle and hammer, which were symbols of the socialist regime. The carpets are a deep maroon, its hues complimenting the severity of the gigantic Stalin and Lenin statues. Pictures on the wall act as visual aids to the juxtaposed written history of Czechoslovakia, which begins shortly after World War I and ends with independence from the Soviet Union and the creations of the Czech and Slovak Republics. According to the museum’s brochure, the central themes of the exhibits are “Communism: the dream, the nightmare, the reality.” Exhibits include displays illustrating the effects of communism on Czechoslovakian everyday life. Some aspects the museum showcases are education, careers, quality of life, instillation of fear, mobilized armed forces, secret police, border guards and interrogation rooms.
For visitors to fully understand how communism spread in Czechoslovakia, the museum begins its historical account after World War I, when the country declared its independence. It was previously a successor state of the Austria-Hungarian Empire, which fell apart after the war. Post-war life in Czechoslovakia was socially and economically crippled. In that same year, 1918, Czech prisoners of war in Russia succumbed to Bolshevik pressure to found a Czech Communist Party. The Soviets then sent these representatives back to spread Lenin’s ideas and prepare for “world revolution.” In 1921, Bohumir Smeral, the founder of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC), announced, “We are more than a political party. We are a vanguard of the new life. We create new relations. We want to create new people.” In the 1930s, after the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange, the country suffered severe unemployment and a freeze on exports. Poverty and hunger had affected one million Czechs by 1935. At the time Adolf Hitler was well into his expansion and took advantage of the weakened nation, making no secret of his plans to liquidate the country and attach it to the Third Reich. Representatives from England and France met in Munich with representatives from Germany and Italy and agreed to Hitler’s wishes. In 1939, Germany began its occupation of Czechoslovakia, which, in its rein of slaughter and terror, exterminated 250,000 Jews and any others who opposed the regime. The KSC vehemently opposed the German occupation, and when World War II finally ended, the liberated state welcomed the Soviet army with enthusiasm. In the proceeding year, the restored nation began dissolving all opposing parties and the communists gained the majority of seats in government. Even in these early stages, aggression and threats were used to secure the party’s strength.
The newly formed Soviet Union began heavily using fear as weapon against its opposition in February 1948, which they called “Victorious February.” Non-Communists in Czechoslovakia were terrified by the frequent marches of armed workers, and party opposers were often smeared by false accusations of being Nazi supporters. In 1945, Joseph Stalin announced, “From this day onward, the age-old struggle of the Czech people for their national existence can be considered as victoriously completed.” For the next 40 years, Communist doctrine invaded almost every aspect of Czech life. The regime knew that its success was heavily dependent on “raising a socialist man,” so from childhood, students were educated to be satisfied with a modest income, knowledgeable of communist doctrine, conscientious with labor tasks, and observant of people who disrupt the social order. They were also taught hatred of the wealthy and hostility towards democratic states. Propaganda posters from the time that stress the value of labor are showcased in the museum. One such image is of happy men plowing the field with the translated message reading, “The best amelioration- manuring of the meadows.” In addition to the fear and violence that the regime subjected its people to, the Soviet Union caused devastation in Prague’s historical center. Restoration projects that had been contracted before the takeover were forgotten for decades. As a result, much of the older parts became utterly dilapidated were forcefully taken over by Romany, who are also known as gypsies.
The period of Communism in Czechoslovakia can also be characterized by rebellious uprisings that were brutally put down by Soviet militia. The largest rebellion occurred in 1955, when a “currency reform” robbed most citizens of their entire life’s savings. Those trying to flee Czechoslovakia during the Soviet reign were denied the right to leave by guards who fiercely patrolled the nation’s borders, which were equipped with rockets, land mined and barbed wire. It was not uncommon for guards to shoot and kill people trying to escape. Arguably, the most chilling part of the museum is the replica of an interrogation room, which outlines the slim to none degree of evidence that the party needed to sentence someone to the gallows. Also interesting are the propaganda posters that directly attacked the United States. According to articles available in the museum, popular American country-western music and culture, as well as U.S. aid to Czechoslovakia in post-war times made smearing the country’s reputation a difficult task.
This is why the harshest propaganda ads were aimed towards the U.S. and capitalism. One such poster features an American police officer with a monkey’s body and a silver dollar for a face, implying that the nation was run by people of low intelligence who were driven by greed. The Czech people finally saw an end to the communist regime in 1989 with the “Velvet Revolution,” which occurred during the collapse of the Soviet Union. The movement is aptly titled in reference to how smoothly non-Communist Vaclav Havel took power on Nov. 20 of that year, without any violent opposition. “It is one of the most interesting museums I have seen in Prague,” said Ben Rafael, a U.S. Military Academy student taking international relations summer courses in Prague. “You always hear people in the U.S. talk about how bad the Communists were, but I never understood why until I saw a lot of these exhibits. It is chilling to see what really went on” For additional information about life under communism in the Czech Republic and the Museum of Communism, see Julie Major's article.
If You Go: Address: Na Prikope 10, 111 00 Praha 1 Telephone: 420 224 212 966 Hours: Open seven days each week
from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Online: For more information, visit http://www.museumofcommunism.com. For additional information about life under communism in the Czech Republic and the Museum of Communism, see Julie Major's article.
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