Archive: History | 1968 1968
1969: Radio Prague goes back to the bad old days
In the course of 1969 and 1970 Czechoslovak Radio was transformed back into
what it had been in the 1950s, a tool of hard line propaganda. In the
process, over 700 radio staff were forced to leave their jobs. Those who
stayed found their freedom of expression severely curtailed. To give an
idea of the extent to which things had changed by August 1969 - the first
anniversary of the Soviet led invasion – I will start with a short
extract from Radio Prague’s broadcasts back in 1968, as the tanks rolled
into the city. At the time the radio was playing a crucial role in keeping
the world informed of what was really happening – including reports of
violent incidents as the invading troops opened fire on civilians: More
After Palach: fears and hopes
In last week’s From the Archives we followed the tragic last days of the
student Jan Palach, who on January 16 1969 set himself alight in protest
against growing apathy in the face of the Soviet invasion five months
earlier. The whole country was in shock. Such a drastic and violent
sacrifice had little precedent in modern Czech and Slovak history, and
perhaps for just that reason Palach immediately became a symbol of the
country’s lost liberty and a rallying cry for those who still hoped to
save something of the reforms of 1968. Those in power had to be cautious;
they were well aware that Palach’s legacy could be explosive. More
The abnormality of normalization
On the airwaves, 1968 ended very much as it had begun. For New Year’s
Eve, Czechoslovak Radio chose the same format as the year before, with the
light-hearted musical cabaret of the Semafor Theatre. But behind the
scenes, the Soviet-led occupation in August had changed everything. The
Soviets were only too pleased for the radio to give the impression of
normality. A gradual, almost imperceptible drift back to hard-line
communism was beginning. The process came to be known cynically as
“normalization”, a word that was first used by Alexander Dubček
himself on August 27 1968. He had just returned from his forced five-day
stay in Moscow, where he had been bullied into accepting the presence of
foreign troops. More
Playing cat-and-mouse with the Soviets to keep on air
In the days immediately after the Soviet invasion in August 1968, staff at
Czechoslovak Radio played a cat-and-mouse game with the occupying forces.
For the first couple of days, they managed to continue broadcasting
directly from the radio headquarters, despite the presence of tanks
outside. More
Shock and disillusionment: students respond to the 1968 Soviet invasion
For the younger generation that had grown up after the end of World War II,
the Soviet-led invasion of August 1968 was traumatic. The Prague Spring had
brought an atmosphere of optimism and genuine enthusiasm for change, and
all these hopes were crushed overnight. In this week’s From the Archives,
we’ll hear what students had to say at the time, as recorded by
Czechoslovak and foreign radio stations as the occupation unfolded. More
Words, words, words… The United Nations and the 1968 invasion
In this week’s From the Archives we continue our look at how radio
covered the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Today we
follow the part played by the United Nations. Within just a few hours of
the tanks crossing the border, the UN Security Council met for a special
meeting to discuss what to do about the invasion. Czechoslovakia’s
Ambassador to the UN, Jan Mužík was unequivocal: More
August 21 1968 on the airwaves
In the course of 1968 the Soviet Union made it increasingly clear that it
disapproved strongly of the Prague Spring reforms. Yet, despite mounting
tensions with Moscow, the Soviet led invasion on the night from August
20-21 1968, came as a huge shock. Today we are going to hear some of the
broadcasts from that fateful day. We start with Radio Moscow, with an
official Soviet version of events. More
Alexander Dubček: hope and despair in 1968
The political reforms of the 1960s accelerated dramatically when on January
5 1968 Alexander Dubček became First Secretary of the Communist Party, the
most powerful position in the country. Dubček immediately set
Czechoslovakia on a course of economic and political reform, to create what
was described as “socialism with a human face”. Today we are going to
hear two recordings of Dubček from 1968 that show both the hopes with
which the year started and the despair which followed the Soviet invasion
in August. More
New website presents the life and sacrifice of Jan Palach
It was one of the most remarkable single acts in Czechoslovak history, one
that still today evokes mingled shock and admiration. Now the documents,
reports, essays and films relating to the self-immolation of Jan Palach -
five months after the invasion of his country by Warsaw Pact forces – is
available to the public through a new website launched to commemorate the
life and sacrifice of the young activist. More
Seeking asylum in communist Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia played an active part in the Soviet Union’s propaganda war
with the United States during the 1950s, a time of edginess and paranoia on
both sides. There was no shortage of people trying to flee across the Iron
Curtain to the West, but every now and then the flight would be in the
other direction, and someone from the West would actively seek asylum in
the Communist Bloc. For the communist regimes this was a propaganda
opportunity not to be missed. More
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