Daily Realities: Communism in Czechoslovakia

How Communism Started: 1946, One year after Germany surrendered in World War II and after the Red Army of the Soviet Union aided the liberation of Czechoslovakia. The national parliamentary vote had just happened, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia won the majority of the seats in Parliament — 113 out of 300, more than any other party before them. This would be the last free election for decades to come. Although the president elected, Edvard Beneš, was part of the Czech National Socialist Party, the communist-ruled parliament overpowered him and attained key ministries under their authority.

How did the Communists win the 1946 election?

After the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia anticipated a new harmonious future where everyone would thrive together. The Communist Party presented itself as a party for the people — for peace, for equality. The Soviet Union was held in high regard by the Czech people, while the Western democratic world was less sought after.

According to the 1938 Munich Agreement crafted by Western European powers, Great Britain and France gave the Czech lands to Hitler’s Nazi Party and stated that they would not support Czech rebellions, hoping this accord would prevent further international occupation and conflict. Czechoslovakia had been expecting continued aid from the West in their resistance to further German annexation, but was then abandoned, upending Czech life and unleashing the horrors of the Nazi regime onto the Czech people during the Second World War.

As a result, the Communist Party received 40% of the votes and gained control of the Czech Government.

Full Control

From 1946 to 1948, the influence of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia grew significantly. Communist-appointed positions were created in every major industry, the parliament was controlled by communists, and the party exerted power everywhere.

In 1947, Communist Prime Minister Clement Gottwald accepted an invitation from the West to attend discussions of the Marshall Plan. The U.S.S.R.’s Stalin did not approve this objective and summoned Gottwald to reexamine his decision. Gottwald soon reversed his choice, declining help from the democratic West and complying with the Soviet communists.

In February 1948, non-communist parliamentarians announced that the communists were using the Ministry of Interior's police and security forces to suppress non-communists and demanded a halt to this practice. In protest, all non-communist parliamentarians resigned, expecting President Beneš to reject their resignation, thereby forcing Gottwald to cede his efforts. Their attempts to curb communist power did not go as planned, as Beneš accepted their departure to avoid accusations of collusion.

Meanwhile, Gottwald created a worker’s militia and forced Beneš to appoint an all-communist government. On February 25, 1948, known as the Coup d'état, Czechoslovakia officially became a communist country and a satellite state of the U.S.S.R.

Daily Life

Daily life in Czechoslovakia was different for many people, but a few things remained consistent. One of the most constant and oppressive presences was that of the Secret Police, or the Státní bezpečnost (StB). The StB spied on, intimidated, and forged false criminal evidence against political opponents of the Communist Party. Regular citizens experienced telephone tapping, interception of private mail, house searches, surveillance, arrests, and indictment for so-called ‘subversion of the republic.’ On the street, citizens never knew if they were being watched, constantly living in fear in a country that had stopped progressing with modernization.

How communism affected individuals varied greatly based on numerous factors such as gender, age, family background, profession, and social class. No one person had the exact same experience as another. Despite these differences, the overarching influence of the regime and the pervasive sense of fear and control were felt by all.

Women: The ideology held towards women during this time was that women were expected to work, have higher education, and teach youth Communist beliefs. The Communist Party expanded women’s equality through education, career opportunities, and government means. They were expected to attend school but study historically feminine fields, such as humanities and primary education, compared to men’s STEM focused fields. This segregation of occupations led to women not being present in decision-making roles in the country and being paid much less than men.

Women were grossly mistreated by the system that claimed it wanted to establish full legal gender equality yet diminished societal gender equality. Many women in politics were there for the symbolic nature and did not have any actual power. For example, a group called the Czechoslovak Union of Women was dedicated to the communist goal of enforcing gender role in society yet did not have any sway in politics at all. This organization and others like it contributed heavily to the distrust of women’s groups (government related or not) after the fall of Communism. This feeling continues today in the contrast between women’s roles and power in the Czech Republic versus in non-previously-ruled-communist countries.

While women were expected to work, they still had to take care of the household and children, creating long days and early retirements for them in comparison to the Western world. For example, after a full day at work, women would then have to wait in lengthy lines at the grocery store to buy eggs, bread, and other basic everyday items. In these stores, there was almost always a shortage of toilet paper, soap, shampoo, and necessary hygiene products, making it so that women would have to fashion creative ways to get these things, such as old newspaper as toilet paper, eyelets and nylons for curtains, and more.

Children: From the first day of school, students were taught hostility towards the elite and wealthy social classes and to despise Western and democratic states and beliefs. They studied Marxism and Leninism to enforce communist ideology. Students weren’t allowed to form or discuss their own opinions or beliefs about the world in fear of punishment and shame by society. Math and technical subjects were encouraged with the aim of producing technicians for manufacturing and heavy industry. In their early teens, children were directed to apprentice training schools and involuntarily became a part of the Communist workforce. Students were more likely to be accepted into university if they had working class backgrounds, actively supported the Communist Regime, and had participated in communist youth organizations.

After school ended for the day, youth would go home to be looked after by their grandparents or keep to themselves until their parents returned from work after waiting in long lines for basic necessities. Wealthier adolescents were able to listen to state-censored radio or watched communist promoted television shows.

Besides school, children were expected to participate in communist sponsored youth movements. Youth attended summer camps where they participated in activities such as making posters with images in which socialist life was central and praised. Spartakiades, or huge gymnastic sporting events, were a prevalent part of the communist propaganda. Organizations started as young as 8 years old and went until 25 years old with the purpose of steering their members towards a KSČ membership.

Membership to these organizations appeared to be voluntary, but any child over the age of eight was expected to join. Of course, the children were also expected to wear uniforms: light blue shirts with grey pants for boys, white blouses with dark blue skirts for girls, and a red scarf for everybody. Many childhoods were very similar, reflecting the communist uniformity that was demanded.

Workers: Majority of the population under the communist regime were labeled as workers — people working under government rule or at nationalized businesses, such as factories, banks, and other enterprises. This monetary reform that forced people into working at government owned operations drove individuals out of their personal savings and into economic uniformity, further making it so that a two-income household where both parents worked was necessary to provide for daily life. Workers were mistreated, worked in poor conditions, and were often not in line for what their job entailed. Intellectual elites were not allowed to work in positions they were qualified for and forced to work in mundane positions of which they were overqualified. Politically “correct” people (citizens who supported communism) were promoted to jobs without proper qualifications. And people who were vocally against communist beliefs had to turn to menial work to make ends meet. At many places, instead of streamlining operations and dismissing employees whose job performance was unsatisfactory, managers merely shifted workers to other positions. However, workers lived simple lives — if your family had solid working-class credentials and stayed unnoticed, you were able to get by relatively smoothly in your daily life.

Communist Affiliates: Being a member of the Communist Party — whether you believed in it or not — meant having better apartments, better jobs, and opportunities money alone could not buy. Doctors who needed training but didn’t want to join the Party had to take classes sanctioned by the KSČ to get certification. If your grandfather was in the party but you were not, you still had a better chance of getting into the school you wanted over somebody who had no relation to the party. The idea was that the more an individual complies, the more compliance is expected, demanded, and received from everyone. Communist relations helped improve your life in Czechoslovakia even if you did not believe in their ideals.

Secret Police: The Secret Police, or the Státní bezpečnost (StB), was a plainclothes secret police force, an investigative agency, an intelligence agency, and a counterintelligence agency all in one. They could be found on the streets doing what appeared to be everyday activities such as shopping, taking a walk, or wandering. However, agents were actually taking secret pictures of suspected anti-communists, regular citizens, and potential candidates for their organization. To do this, they used cameras hidden inside of jackets, baby carriages, and more.

The StB hunted citizens everywhere, from their home to their jobs, to their mother’s house — nowhere was safe. Police kept a log of everybody they tracked and gave the watched code names such as Rome, Tennis Player, and Bula; most were named after notable characteristics and were not highly creative. If you were being tracked, you would be able to find yourself in the log book pretty quickly.

One of the StB’s most infamous practice was called “Operation Border Stone.” StB agents disguised as American Border officers tricked fleeing refugees into believing they had made it across the border into freedom. These “officers” then forcefully interrogated citizens to get information about people and plans targeted towards undermining and overthrowing the Communist government, sending many asylum seekers to jail (or worse).

End of Communism

Prauge Spring

In 1968, the era known as the Prague Spring began with the election of reformist Alexander Dubček as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Dubček aimed to grant additional rights to citizens through partial decentralization of the economy and a slight democratization of the country. The freedoms granted during this period included a loosening of restrictions on the media, speech, and travel. One of Dubček's most notable achievements was the splitting of the nation into the Czech Socialist Republic and the Slovak Socialist Republic.

The reforms introduced by Dubček were not well received by the Soviet Union, which responded by sending half a million troops and tanks to occupy the country. On 20-21 of August, 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People’s Republic, the Hungarian People’s Republic, and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. Resistance was widespread throughout Czechoslovakia and lasted for eight months. The resistance involved attempts at fraternization, sabotage of street signs, and defiance of curfews.

After the invasion, Czechoslovakia entered a period known as "normalization," during which new leaders sought to restore the harsh political and economic values that had prevailed before Dubček's reforms. This period marked a return to strict Soviet control and the suppression of the freedoms briefly enjoyed during the Prague Spring.

Decline of Communism

In the late 1980s, Czechoslovakian citizens began to witness the decline of communist politicians and the rise of political opponents. With less strict surveillance from Moscow, people openly complained about the declining economic condition of the nation. Better access to information from the West revealed the stark contrast between the quality of life in Western countries and life behind the Iron Curtain. As a result, the country began to envision a future beyond communist ideology.

Velvet Revolution

November 17, 1989, a few days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, masses of students gathered in Prague to protest the communist regime. This demonstration became known as The Velvet Revolution. Students chanting anti-government slogans packed the streets of Bratislava as well, where they were met with violence from the police. Despite this, the movement spread from city to city, involving people from all walks of life who protested the oppression they endured.

The protests saw widespread participation. Theater workers went on strike, converting their stages into forums for public discussion. Factory workers spoke out against the government. The movement included everyone, from students to professionals, united in their demand for change.

The efforts of the protesters succeeded. On November 28, the Communist Party leadership resigned, and an anti-communist government was in place by December 10. Václav Havel was elected president on December 29, becoming the last president of Czechoslovakia.

Today, November 17 is celebrated as a national holiday in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, commemorating the end of communism and honoring the peaceful revolution that led to freedom.

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