James Stafford

The Czech Lands have a history so long and rich that if you asked a hundred historians what period of history most intrigued their intellect you may find yourselves with nearly a hundred answers. The Czech Republic’s physical location at the very heart of Europe has, by default, also given it a figurative place at the beating heart of European history.

It might seem an obvious choice to choose the Prague Spring of 1968 as my answer to what period or event from Czech History I find of most interest, but in choosing it I give no apologies.

There is no doubt that the events of 1968 rank highly in the annuals of both European and Czech history. The fallout and tremors of that momentous year are still reverberating in today’s post Cold War world and, perhaps, we need at least another four decades to pass before we can hope to understand its true legacy.

What helps to make the events of 1968 so fascinating for me is the wealth of images, films and recordings which exist to bring these dark days to life. As absorbing and compelling as it is to study, for example, the documents, buildings and writings relating to the distant days of Charles IV or the terrors of the fallout of the Battle of White Mountain in the 17th Century, it is very hard to attain a genuine empathy with those who lived in those eras as we are left with so much to be filled in by our own limited imaginations.

Furthermore, the vast majority of information from such periods usually comes from a narrow section of the ruling classes such as Kings, Emperors, aristocrats and clergy - those who occupied positions of power and influence. There is no real source from the common man for us to appreciate and take on board. Such history is frustratingly one sided.

The Prague Spring, in contrast, is not only of interest for its historical significance, but also because of the profusion of personal testimonies, photographs, audio recordings and writings from ordinary people that survive to give the occasion an immediacy and vibrancy earlier events in Czech history cannot match.

However, my initial answer as to what period of Czech history I find most interesting cannot simply be answered by the phrase ‘Prague Spring’ alone. Rather, I chose instead a particular few minutes of those momentous days.

On the night the Soviet tanks rolled their way into the country’s defenceless capital, a young, scared Czech student, huddled by the shaking window of his Prague flat, recorded an emotional monologue which was picked up by the world’s media.

These simple, humble words, uttered nervously onto a primitive tape recorder in a harsh, clipped East European accent, do more to reveal the true scale and horror of the Soviet invasion than the study of countless newspaper articles, text books and government files ever could.

The recording, now readily available on the internet and since identified as being made by Oldřich Černý (who later went on to become part of Vaclav Havel’s post 1989 government) states the following:

“I am a Czech student, 22 years old. At this very moment, as I am recording, Russian tanks, prepared for any action, are standing in a big park just under my window. I don’t know whether I will ever finish my studies or meet my friends abroad again. And I could count and count, but at this moment everything somehow loses its sense. At 3 a.m., 21st August 1968, I woke up to a completely different world from the one I went to sleep in…The only way how you can help us is this: not to forget Czechoslovakia. Don’t forget Czechoslovakia.”

It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of studying history mechanically and to view everything purely through the prism of diplomatic relations, government statistics and military movements. What Oldřich Černý’s recording gives us is a priceless human element to this major world crisis. It is a vital, almost sacred, link to the emotions of that grim chapter in Czech history and nothing else in my encounters with Czech history has ever had such an impact on me.

For all the beauty of Czech architecture, the lyricism of its writers and poets and the melodies of their great composers, it’s difficult to find something more poignant or more touching than the sound of an ordinary student worried his nation may be on the brink of being swallowed whole.

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