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Current AffairsMPs agree on compensation for victims of 1968 Soviet-led invasion
Victims of the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of the former Czechoslovakia may
finally win compensation. The lower house of the Czech parliament has
approved a bill, now awaiting Senate approval, which would provide
compensation to relatives of those killed during the invasion, as well as
to those killed, raped or injured by Soviet or Warsaw Pact troops who
occupied the country until 1991. More
Current AffairsA small crowd gathers to remember Jan Palach's sacrifice
Last weekend was the 36th anniversary of one of the most tragic events
associated with the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968. On 16th
January 1969, a twenty-year-old student Jan Palach doused himself with
petrol and set himself alight on Prague's Wenceslas Square. It was a
desperate protest against the invasion and growing public apathy in the
face of the process known as "normalization", as the hardliners
gradually regained control. Jan Palach died from his burns three days
later, and around the world his sacrifice became one of the most potent
symbols of the time. David Vaughan attended a ceremony on Saturday at Jan
Palach's grave.
More
Czechs in HistoryGustav Husak - Czech history's forgotten man
In this edition of Czechs in History, we look at the life and career of
Gustav Husak, a Slovak native who left an indelible mark on Czech history
as the last communist president of Czechoslovakia. Gustav Husak was born
in Bratislava in 1913. A gifted and talented student, he trained as a
lawyer at Comenius University, where he also joined the Communist Party in
1933.
More
Current AffairsMoscow archives open for the Czech historians to search for truth about the 1968 invasion
Czech historians are to be allowed access to much of the Russian archival
material that was closed to them up to now. Likely to be of the greatest
interest to Czech researchers is documentation connected to the Soviet-led
invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, which brought an end to the country's
attempt at reforms aimed at bringing "socialism with a human
face". More
Current AffairsMoscow archives open for Czech historians to search for truth about the 1968 invasion
Czech historians are to be allowed access to much of the Russian archival
material that was closed to them up to now. Likely to be of the greatest
interest to Czech researchers is documentation connected to the Soviet-led
invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, which brought an end to the country's
attempt at reforms aimed at bringing "socialism with a human
face". More
Talking PointDraft proposal hopes to see more victims of 1968 occupation compensated
On August 21, 1968, Warsaw Pact tank rolled into Czechoslovakia. As Soviet
troops shot at the radio building, Czechoslovak radio appealed for calm.
The invasion had come on direct order from Moscow to put an end to the
Prague Spring - the attempt by the Czechoslovak Communist Party, led by
Alexander Dubcek, to introduce "Communism with a human face", to
become more independent and loosen the tight grip of the Soviet Union.
Protests in the streets of Prague and other towns and cities, left dozens
of people dead and hundreds injured at the hands of the occupying troops.
More
Current AffairsRemembering the Soviet invasion - 36 years later
Over a hundred people gathered in front of the Czech Radio building on
Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the Soviet-led invasion of
Czechoslovakia in 1968. Vinohradska Street, where Czech Radio is situated,
was one of the places that saw the biggest clashes between occupying
Warsaw Pact troops and Czech demonstrators, and therefore is a venue where
eyewitnesses and public personalities recall these events every year on
the 21st August - the day Czechoslovakia was occupied.
More
Czechs in History"Building socialism" on the airwaves up to 1968
Today we look at the roles of some of those who believed in the Czech
branch of socialism, announcers at Radio Prague during the 50s and 60s.
We'll find out what inspired them to leave their homes in Canada and the
U.S. to make a new start in Prague - to help build socialism in former
Czechoslovakia - a very unusual fate. More
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