I am researching the Eastern bloc/Warsaw pact countries,starting with Czechoslovakia,so if you either lived there or have info of what life was like there,tell me
>>1235592
I like it
>>1235592
Well, where to start? i was raised through the aftermath, and my parents told me everything.
There has been a lots of problems in the beginning 1948 when KSČ (communist party of czechoslovakia) became domminant. Many people were gotten rid of, primarily veterans since they were symbols of the first republic, and thus were problematic. Some of them assimilated some were already socialits. But basically it was the initial cleansing. things got somewhat calm and then began Nationalization. even middle class felt it and quite severely at that.some who did not give out voluntarily were imprisoned or used in mineworks (e.g. Uranium mine in Jachymov, grandfather was sent to one like that). after that there was a great crisis of finances due to poorly calculated move made by president Antonin Zapotocky, which deeply affected everyone since most people saved money now lost it. His succesor Antonín Novotný started being liberal and started to see first republic as a good thing, see he was deposed off during the occupation of 1968.
Now for the life itself.
Father told me of strict nature of the life during communism. When he was young there was a lot of work where he grew up, undeveloped periphery type house. In school they had to have short haircut no makeup and had to do annual preparation in case of nuclear war. Every semester atleast one they had to put gas masks on, raincoats on, and simple igelit/polyethylen bags on their hands and feet (In case of nuclear attack, without jokes those easy to tear bags, with nearly no protection). everytime they had to prepare for parades known as Spartakiada. Teachers didn't care for students and had their own rules, you could have been hyperactive and automatically they would make you "special" (sending you to school of lower difficulty, mentally challenged ones). Most teachers acted like real communists, removing specific historical dates form teaching and so on.
thank you, this helps a lot. Btw were you around when they were the "Czech and Slovak republic"
>>1235761
cont.
Father had a good teacher, who did not obey the rules and many times explained to students what it was that really happened in 1968. fastforward to later. (there were only 8 years of elementary/primary school as opposed to current 9) when he made it future was pretty obvious for him. If your parents were not in the party, you had lower chances of getting accepted to decent schools such as gymnasiums (academic secondary school), best start for university. So he studied to be electrician and got slowly to the world of grown ups. CArs back then were utter garbage and simplistic, ford managment type (as much as you can for as cheap as you can with primary concentration on selling it), Cars like Velorex, Škoda 105, Trabant rulled the infrastructure.
You could buy anything you want as long as you knew where to look for it. That place was Tuzex from prohibited jeans to rambo movie, everything was there, but was kept more quiet. Many of the western movies were dubbed by amateurs such as this gold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtbcmD9qkvg (absolutely asynchronated). If you actually wanted food you had to wait in a line, there was no joking there. Most of the shops were basic and supermarkets were nearly nonexistant excluding few exceptions in larger cities.
After graduating there was 2 year military service. for university graduates only 1/2 year with officer post. It was pretty hardcore. Terrible conditions and bad relations between officers and recruits. other than food was supposedly good, quality packed can meat etc. apart from that getting adjusted to typical training procedures was the only difficult thing. After one year in military service you graduate and the second grades got to smack your ass really hard after singing a song (usually with a belt or in some cases long antennae off a tank). Some were unlucky and had to be stationed in camps on borders, sometimes shooting innocent people who wanted to get over to the "shinny side".
>>1235786
i was 2 years old when the czechoslovakian schism happened. Also I have a few more things to share if you want.
>>1235867
Yes I want to know everything
>>1235867
Yes I want to know everything
>>1235867
I think I might as well finish it whilst I'm up.
Getting a job was easier than anything. If you couldn't find it you were given one. If you refused you were sent to jail, plain and simple. Most of the time jails were filled with gypsies. (This job system severely affected the states economy as everything was mostly sold in state only or in soviet union, but except for that no export only some import)
If you wanted to travel somewhere. First thing is obvious have financial disposition, enough free time. Then comes the problem, even if the state was not part of the western world you had to do ton of paperwork just to get there, and that could might aswell take up to one year of preparation (It could have been rejected any time during this). And if you were planning to get to the western side, and they found out during "random check" you were sent home and interrogated sanctioned and possibly jailed.
That was the period of "normalization" many uncomfortable people were removed interrogated, jailed even executed if need be foŕ even the pettiest things such as sharing opinion with the wrong person.
Many complicated things happened and slowly the system fell, it is even speculated that the velvet revolution of 1989 was a fabricated communist thing to change state system, make people happy and make more money. For many politicians it worked.
Privatization, abolition of milatary service, establishment of international market in global measure, schism of Slovak republic etc.
It all seems quite democratic on the outside, but many things remain socialistic nontheless in this state. It isn't necessarily bad, but many laws and social constructs protect corruption of the state. Sadly it might take another 2 generations to correct that.
I'd like to apologize for any mistakes, my right hand is in plaster cast and I'm getting tired. If you have any questions i'll be up for about half an hour max.
Thank you I have no questions,but if you have any information on the other eastern bloc countries, look out for my future posts
