Written by Katie
The city of Prague was unlike any of the others we've visited so far. There was so much beautiful Gothic architecture, and the old buildings and winding cobblestone streets made it feel like we were transported back in time. There was a lot to see on the walking tours, including the Jewish Quarter and the Prague Castle. Although we visited Wenceslas Square, we didn't really see or talk much about what transpired there in 1968 until we went to the Museum of Communism.
From studying Prague Spring in the fall, we learned that the new Slovak leader, Alexander Dubcek introduced reforms to create a more humane model of socialism than the government ruling the rest of the Communist block. One of the reforms including abolishing censorship, making the media a powerful tool of communication and democratization. The uncensored media could actually be informative to the public; no information was hidden and no lies were fed to the people through the media by the government. Still, some radio organizations found ways to transmit news secretly so that people would still be able to hear truthful information.
Unfortunately, Dubcek couldn't convince his superiors that the new reforms were in everyone's best interest. Brezhnev sent troops into Czechoslovakia under the false pretenses that the citizens were trying to stage an overthrow of the government. The troops occupied all the important institutions and took over control of the media. They made sure to block strategic communications routes in order to prevent government information from slipping into the hands of the public. Peaceful protests against the invasion soon turned to violence when neither the Soviet troops nor the citizens gave up their cause. In the museum there was a video playing about the protests during Prague Spring. It was surprising to me how violent the soldiers and police were being, especially since the people were not actually trying to overthrow the government. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be in Wenceslas Square at that time, to suddenly see tanks rolling down the narrow streets and your friends and neighbors being beaten to a pulp for no apparent reason.
Another result of Prague Spring that I found intriguing was the story of Jan Palach, who set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square on January 16, 1969 to protest the return of the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. It is so amazing to me that someone could be so dedicated to a cause that they would intentionally end their life in protest. It's such a horrifying yet selfless act, to kill yourself in hopes that your actions will help free others.
To conclude, we really enjoyed our time in Prague. The city was beautiful and a refreshing change from the prison-like feeling of the architecture in Berlin. I think that walking through Wenceslas Square and seeing the video in the museum helped us realize more about the reality of violence that occurred in 1968, and made us realize the lengths people will go to in order to live freely.
The city of Prague was unlike any of the others we've visited so far. There was so much beautiful Gothic architecture, and the old buildings and winding cobblestone streets made it feel like we were transported back in time. There was a lot to see on the walking tours, including the Jewish Quarter and the Prague Castle. Although we visited Wenceslas Square, we didn't really see or talk much about what transpired there in 1968 until we went to the Museum of Communism.
From studying Prague Spring in the fall, we learned that the new Slovak leader, Alexander Dubcek introduced reforms to create a more humane model of socialism than the government ruling the rest of the Communist block. One of the reforms including abolishing censorship, making the media a powerful tool of communication and democratization. The uncensored media could actually be informative to the public; no information was hidden and no lies were fed to the people through the media by the government. Still, some radio organizations found ways to transmit news secretly so that people would still be able to hear truthful information.
Unfortunately, Dubcek couldn't convince his superiors that the new reforms were in everyone's best interest. Brezhnev sent troops into Czechoslovakia under the false pretenses that the citizens were trying to stage an overthrow of the government. The troops occupied all the important institutions and took over control of the media. They made sure to block strategic communications routes in order to prevent government information from slipping into the hands of the public. Peaceful protests against the invasion soon turned to violence when neither the Soviet troops nor the citizens gave up their cause. In the museum there was a video playing about the protests during Prague Spring. It was surprising to me how violent the soldiers and police were being, especially since the people were not actually trying to overthrow the government. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be in Wenceslas Square at that time, to suddenly see tanks rolling down the narrow streets and your friends and neighbors being beaten to a pulp for no apparent reason.
Another result of Prague Spring that I found intriguing was the story of Jan Palach, who set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square on January 16, 1969 to protest the return of the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. It is so amazing to me that someone could be so dedicated to a cause that they would intentionally end their life in protest. It's such a horrifying yet selfless act, to kill yourself in hopes that your actions will help free others.
To conclude, we really enjoyed our time in Prague. The city was beautiful and a refreshing change from the prison-like feeling of the architecture in Berlin. I think that walking through Wenceslas Square and seeing the video in the museum helped us realize more about the reality of violence that occurred in 1968, and made us realize the lengths people will go to in order to live freely.