Fifty-one years ago I traveled to Europe for the first time. Part of the trip was with a student group. One of the places we visited was Prague, a beautiful city. But, many of the buildings bore scars from recent damage to the stones and brick. There were also a few tanks still to be seen.
Alexander Dubcek had presided over liberalization of Soviet era policies in Czechoslovakia. In August, 1968, Warsaw Pact troops invaded. Dubcek was taken to Moscow where he was forced to make concessions. He was eventually demoted in April, 1969, finally down to being a forestry inspector. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Dubcek)
Czechoslovakia became communist following WWII after elections in 1946 had significant representation by communist and leftist parties. By 1948, the communists had forced other coalition parties out of government. The Communist party, supported by the Soviet Union, then took control of the government, and remained in power until 1989. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/communists-take-power-in-czechoslovakia)
The period of liberalization in 1968 was known as the Prague Spring (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring). Students and intellectuals had been very active in pushing for the liberalization and also resisting the invasion, though there were other signs of resistance, such as changing direction signs in villages to confuse the invading troops and adulterating Pilsner beer, which is named after the Czech city of Pilsen.
I recall that the beer was still adulterated during my visit. I had heard that it was highly regarded, but it was greenish and tasted terrible when we were there. Another memory from that trip is impossible to forget. We were loading the bus at the border checkpoint. I was ordered to stand by a tall wall. Three soldiers who looked barely 18 trained their guns on me while an officer asked me questions in Czech. I could not understand and asked that he speak to me in a language I understood. I tried to calm myself while praying that I would not be sent to a gulag. I knew the stories I had heard about gulags and labor camps in the Soviet Union. I also sensed that if I flinched, it might be over. Finally, since the bus driver refused to leave without me, I was allowed to board the bus and we left. It was a case of mistaken identity. I have often wondered what happened to the woman for whom I was mistaken.
When the Warsaw Pact troops arrived 72 Czechs and Slovaks were killed and an additional 702 were injured (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring). As I watch the news about the reaction to Black Lives Matter protests with federal agents in some cities, I recall the aftermath of the Prague Spring. I never expected anything in the US to remind me of what I saw there. But, I see history repeating.
Alexander Dubcek had presided over liberalization of Soviet era policies in Czechoslovakia. In August, 1968, Warsaw Pact troops invaded. Dubcek was taken to Moscow where he was forced to make concessions. He was eventually demoted in April, 1969, finally down to being a forestry inspector. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Dubcek)
Czechoslovakia became communist following WWII after elections in 1946 had significant representation by communist and leftist parties. By 1948, the communists had forced other coalition parties out of government. The Communist party, supported by the Soviet Union, then took control of the government, and remained in power until 1989. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/communists-take-power-in-czechoslovakia)
The period of liberalization in 1968 was known as the Prague Spring (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring). Students and intellectuals had been very active in pushing for the liberalization and also resisting the invasion, though there were other signs of resistance, such as changing direction signs in villages to confuse the invading troops and adulterating Pilsner beer, which is named after the Czech city of Pilsen.
I recall that the beer was still adulterated during my visit. I had heard that it was highly regarded, but it was greenish and tasted terrible when we were there. Another memory from that trip is impossible to forget. We were loading the bus at the border checkpoint. I was ordered to stand by a tall wall. Three soldiers who looked barely 18 trained their guns on me while an officer asked me questions in Czech. I could not understand and asked that he speak to me in a language I understood. I tried to calm myself while praying that I would not be sent to a gulag. I knew the stories I had heard about gulags and labor camps in the Soviet Union. I also sensed that if I flinched, it might be over. Finally, since the bus driver refused to leave without me, I was allowed to board the bus and we left. It was a case of mistaken identity. I have often wondered what happened to the woman for whom I was mistaken.
When the Warsaw Pact troops arrived 72 Czechs and Slovaks were killed and an additional 702 were injured (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring). As I watch the news about the reaction to Black Lives Matter protests with federal agents in some cities, I recall the aftermath of the Prague Spring. I never expected anything in the US to remind me of what I saw there. But, I see history repeating.
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