Leseprobe

7 8 C Z E C H R E P U B L I C The first Czechoslovak Republic was founded in the aftermath of the First World War and continued to exist until 1938. As a result of the Sudeten crisis of 1938, the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia, most of which was German-speaking, was annexed by Nazi Germany. This territorial incorporation by Germany was settled on in the Munich Agreement, to which the Czechoslovak government was not invited to be a party, which resulted from the mediation of Benito Mussolini between Great Britain and France on one side, and Germany on the other. At the same time, Hungary and Poland took advantage of the opportunity to take control of mainly Hungarian or Polish-speaking areas of Czechoslovakia. In March 1939, Slovakia finally broke away from the remaining confederation of states and declared its independence. Only the rump of the former Czechoslovak Republic remained. Members of the government, including Edvard Benes´, fled into exile. After the occu- pation of the remaining Czech territory, which became known as the “Protectorate”, the German occupying power brutally suppressed all forms of resistance. Infamous massacres of civilians, for example in Lidice, were carried out under the pretext of retaliation against acts of resistance. Most of the Jews living in Bohemia and Moravia were deported and murdered in German exter- mination camps. The resistance against the German occupying forces continued until the end of the war and led to an armed uprising at the beginning of May 1945. Prague was liberated by the Red Army on 9 May 1945. After the end of the war, Czechoslovakian territory was restored within the borders of 1937. Carpathian Ruthenia remained within the Soviet Union and was annexed to Ukraine. After the return of former president Beneš from exile, a government of national unity was formed, in which the communists were also represented. Because of their opposition to the Munich Agreement, they enjoyed great respect and support among the population. In addition, they dominated the companies and trade unions; important key departments were headed by communists. Immediately after the end of the war, massive retaliations began against the German inhabitants who were expelled from their homes, abused and robbed of their property. After its victory in the 1946 elections, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KPCˇ ) systematically prepared for the takeover of political power. Important government positions were filled by rep- resentatives of the Communist Party, and its chairman Klement Gottwald was appointed Prime Minister. After the 1948 coup d’état that became known as the “Victorious February”, which was accompanied by the resignation of several non-communist ministers, a new, communist-dom- inated government was formed with Klement Gottwald as president. Expropriations began almost immediately after the 1946 elections and were stepped up in the aftermath. Democratic-minded citizens were declared “class enemies”, prosecuted by the State Security (Státní—StB) and sen- tenced to long prison terms. Between 1946 and 1964, the country’s jails held about 30,000 political prisoners per year. At least 240 people were killed for political reasons. In addition to prisons, countless forced labour camps were set up. Dr Milada Horáková became the symbol of resistance against the totalitarian repression regime of the 1950s: she was imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp from 1942 to 1944 for her work against the Nazi occupation. After her return to Czechoslovakia, she was arrested again in 1949 because of her resolute opposition to the Stalinist regime. In a staged show trial, she was sentenced to death for “anti-Soviet conspiracy”, “espionage”, “high treason” and “subversive behaviour” in Pankrác on 27 June 1950. Since 2009, a monument installed at the entrance to the memorial in Pankrác with a bust of Horáková designed by the Czech sculptor Milan Knobloch has borne witness to the courageous resistance fighter. A main street in Prague also bears her name.