Czechoslovak Political Prisoners - über das Projekt Political ...

Historical Overview
Postwar Development of Czechoslovakia
The development of the Czechoslovakian society in the postwar was an important historical
break in its story. The relations in Europe changed since the European political field got two
new great powers, the Soviet Union and the United States of America. They fought together to
knock down Nazi Germany. After the victory, the interests of these two countries were increasingly
different until they divided into two antagonistic blocks. Czechoslovakia was attempting
to become, “A bridge between East and West.” That means it would be a country that would
connect both blocks and would maintain good relations with both, whether in economical,
political, or a cultural way. That did not happen though and the years from 1945 –1948 Czechoslovakia
was inclining more to the Soviet Union.
The end of WWII meant for this country great changes in the political, economic, and social
sphere. The most expressive change was in the population structure because the German inhabitants
were displaced from the Czechoslovakian border area. This dramatically ended the
co-existance of German-Czech relations, which had existed since the German colonization in
the Middle Ages. The irreconcilable German attitude and longing for reward after the war
arose was evident in the first part of the displacement when there were many cases of violence,
inhumanity, and humiliation. The organized displacement started January 1, 1946 when the
great powers gave their consent to it at the Potsdam Conference, which took place on August
2, 1945. In this way, Czechoslovakia lost more then 2.5 million German inhabitants 1 , which also
contributed to a huge economic problem in the border areas since the new inhabitants never
filled such numbers. The population was lower in the border areas and people there were not
that skilled in cultural, moral, and economic ways to fully replace the old population.
The Czechoslovakian government also tried to displace the Hungarian population living
mainly in southern Slovakia. This displacement was not successful though, because it was not
supported internationally.
Another consequence that was brought by the end of the war was the pursuit and punishment
of those who were cooperating with the Nazi powers. As well as the leaders of Nazi Germany
who faced the Nuremberg Trials in 1945 also some Czechoslovakians were to be punished
for their crimes. Here it happened on the basis of vindictive decrees number 16. The members
of the protectorate government were judged by the newly established National Court and
these processes were a big political precedent and the judges’ independence was affected.
1 Not only were Germans supposed to disappear, but also the names that people could remember them by. The circular
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from August 10, 1945, “The regeneration of the constitutional aspects and new legal
position of Germans in Bohemian and Moravian territory requires the renaming of streets and public places. The Ministry
of Internal Affairs requires (…) so that all names would be dispatched (…) reminding of the time of a lack of freedom, Nazism
and its representatives, as well as any Germanization and German culture. The old names will therefore be replaced
with new ones, better names.” Old names that had nothing to do with Nazism were also dispatched. For example in Plzeň
they renamed the Saxon bridge to Roosevelt‘s bridge or the “Empire outskirts” was renamed to Southern although these
names were given during the Era of Monarchy and had nothing to do with Nazi Germany.
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