International Conference “Resistance and Opposition against the Communist Regime in Czechoslovakia and Central Europe”

  • Location: Czech Republic, Liechtenstein Palace, U Sovových mlýnů 4, Prague 1 - Kampa
  • Event starts on: April 15, 2009
  • Event ends on: April 16, 2009
  • Language: English, Czech, German
  • Organizer: Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and Government of the Czech Republic, on the occasion of the Czech Presidency of the European Union.

The Conference will be inaugurated by Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.

Programme

The conference is proceeded simultaneously in two halls. There is free of charge visit of the exhibition On the Cold War Front. Czechoslovakia 1948-1956 for the participants of conference, in the City of Prague Museum, Na Pořiči 52, Prague 8 (metro station FLORENC).

PROGRAMME - I. HALL - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2009

  • 9.00-9.45 Participants presence
  • 9.45-10.30 Opening ceremony, moderator Jiří Reichl
    • Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of Czech Republic
    • Pavel Žáček, Director of Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes (ÚSTR)
    • Václav Veber, ÚSTR
  • 10.30-10.40 Break
  • 10.40-12.00 Moderator Jan Kalous
    • Tomáš Bursík, ÚSD AV ČR
      Third resistance movement - present situation and main issues
    • Bernd Florath, BStU
      From Resistance to Opposition. The Changing Subject of Political Enmity in the GDR of the 1950s
    • Rafal Wnuk, Muzeum II Wojny Swiatowej, Lublin
      Anti-Communist Conspiracy in Poland 1944-1956
    • Eduard Stehlík, VHÚ
      Comparision of Second ahnd Third Resistance
  • 12.00-13.30 Lunch
  • 13.30-15.00 Moderator Martin Tichý
    • Andrea Valič, Renato Podbersič, Študijski center za narodno spravo
      The Slovenian case: the resistance and opposition against the communist regime
    • Magdolna Baráth, Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security
      The forms of the Hungarian anticommunist resistance
    • Rasa Balockaite, Vytautas Magnus University
      Semiological Guerrilla Warfare: Strategies of Resistance under the Soviet Rule in Lithuania
    • Ronald Gebauer, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
      The Peaceful Revolution and its Aftermaths. The Social Situation of the Victims of Communism in Eastern Germany
    • Florian Banu, National Council of Studying the Security`s Archives
      Some considerations about the longevity of the anticommunist armed groups from Romania (1944-1960)
  • 15.30-17.30 Coffeebreak
  • 15.30-17.30 Moderator Martin Tichý
    • Pál Germuska, Institute for the History of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
      Misbeliefs and Illusions? 1956 as the Focal Point of the Hungarian Anticommunist Resistance
    • Ekaterina Boncheva, Commission for the declassification of records and ascertainment of affiliation of Bulgarian citizens with the former state security intelligence services of the Bulgarian peoples army
      The “Goryani” Movement – The First Anti-Communist Resistance Movement in Eastern Europe
    • Heikki Larmola, University of Helsinki
      The impacts of the Czechoslovak crises of 1948 and 1968 on Finland
    • Aleš Gabrič, Institute for Contemporary History
      Communist Regime in Slovenia and Its Critics
    • Michael Portmann, Historische Kommission der ÖAW
      State repression and local resistance against communist policy on the countryside in Yugoslav Vojvodina (1944-1953)
  • 18.00-19.00 Film projection
    Země bez hrdinů, země bez zločinců - film of Martin Vadas

PROGRAMME - II. HALL - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2009

  • 13.30-15.00 Moderator Václav Veber
    • Martin Vadas
      The influence of activities of Mašín brothers in the early 1950s on the present society of the Czech Republic and on the axis Prague - Berlin - Washington
    • Jiří Buřič
      About the case of Mašín brothers
    • Jan Kalous, ÚSTR
      Reflection of Mašín brothers' case in the contemporary context
    • Markéta Chalupová, Historický ústav Filosofické fakulty Masarykovy Univerzity
      Brothers Mašín group in the contemporary Czech press
    • Pavel Žáček, ÚSTR
      Reconstruction of activities of the resistance group in security archives materials
  • 15.00-15.30 Coffeebreak
  • 15.30-17.30 Moderator Václav Veber
    • Natália Veselská, Historický ústav SAV
      Disapproving attitude of the Slovak public in the first years of the communist regime
    • Vladimír Varinský, Univerzita Mateja Bela, Fakulta humanitných vied
      Slovak post-war political exile and its anti-communist activities
    • Jan Pešek, Historický ústav SAV
      Disclosed preparations of the Freedom party leaders for "overthrowing the people's democratic establishment and restoration of capitalism in Czechoslovakia: in the mid-1950s.
    • Norbert Kmeť, Ústav politických vied SAV
      Forms of resistance of churches and believers
    • Vladimír Palko, ÚPN
      Opposition against communism in the National Security Corps (1949-1953)

PROGRAMME - I. HALL - THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2009

  • 8.30-9.00 Participants presence
  • 9.00-10.45 Moderator Tomáš Bursík
    • Tomáš Grulich, Senát PČR
      Suppression of the impact of foreign resistance movement in Czechoslovakia through law enforcement agencies
    • Eugène Faucher, em. Prof. an der Universität Nancy
      Petr Křivka and so-called Tábor Action
    • Prokop Tomek, VHÚ
      Non-traditional ways of crossing the state border by couriers serving the Resistance
    • Libor Svoboda, ÚSTR
      The group of Šeda brothers and its place in the history of foreign resistance movement against the communist regime
  • 10.45-11.00 Coffeebreak
  • 11.00-12.30 Moderator Tomáš Bursík
    • Jaroslav Rokoský, ÚSTR
      Resistance during the times of infamy; Anti-communist group Štěpán Gavenda, Miloš Zemánek and Co.
    • Mirko Šikola
      Attempt to cross the Western border - the sham "American" maid; Memories of the victim
    • Dobroslav Pustaj
      Anti-communist organisation FREE CZECHOSLOVAKIA after the communist coup of 25 February 1948
    • Matěj Kotalík, FF UK, NFA
      “Punks” and “hooligans” against the regime? At the edge of traditional concepts of resistance
    • Josef Halla
      The remarkable fate of Štěpánka Baloušková
  • 12.00-13.30 Lunch

PROGRAMME - II. HALL - THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2009

  • 8.30-9.00 Participants presence
  • 9.00-10.45 Moderator Petr Dvořáček
    • Stanislav Konečný, Spoločenskovedný ústav SAV, Košice
      Anti-communist aspects of the activity of UPA units in Slovakia after World War II
    • Kateřina Lozoviuková, TU Liberec, katedra historie
      Political persecution and political trials in Liberec region - status of the research
    • Kateřina Joklová, Filozofická fakulta Univerzita J. E. Purkyně Ústí nad Labem
      Resistance activities of the members of non-communist parties in Liberec region
    • František Bártík, Památník Vojna
      Forced labour camps Jaroslav Metyš and Jaroslav Vojtěch - two cases of a journey to Forced labour camp
  • 10.45-11.00 Coffeebreak
  • 11.00-12.30 Moderator Petr Dvořáček
    • Václav Veber, ÚSTR
      Freedom legion and action Joseph
    • Jiří Urban, ÚSTR
      The case of peasants' protest rally in front of the District National Committee building in Dobruška
    • Martin Tichý, ÚSTR
      Several notes on the case of Jiří Rábl
    • Kamil Nedvědický, Ministerstvo vnitra ČR
      Legal supervision over the resistance and opposition against the communist regime
    • Martin Jindra
      The case of Olomouc vicar of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church (CSHC) Augustin Jüngling
  • 12.00-13.30 Lunch
  • 13.30 Programme in the I. HALL

PROGRAMME - I. HALL - THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2009

  • 13.30-15.00 Moderator Jaroslav Rokoský - Panel of witnesses
    • Hana Truncová (1924)
    • Miloslav Nerad (1921)
    • Tomáš Sedláček (1918)
    • Vojtěch Klečka (1921)
  • 15.00-15.45 Conclusion - moderators of sections, moderator Alena Śimánková
    • Martin Tichý
    • Petr Dvořáček
    • Tomáš Bursík
    • Václav Veber
  • 15.45-16.00
    • Pavel Žáček with Mašín borthers - live transmission
    • Closing ceremony - Miroslav Lehký
  • 16.00-17.00 Banquet

Registration form

Call for papers details:

Discussions shall take place in three concurrent panels named

  • 1) Czech and Slovak Resistance against the Communist Regime
  • 2) Czech and Slovak Opposition against the Communist Regime
  • 3) Czechoslovakian Resistance Abroad and Resistance in Individual Countries

The discussions shall concern the individual manifestations, nature, and typologies of opposition and resistance in Central Europe in the nineteen forties and nineteen fifties. We anticipate that the introductory statement and the closing summarizing panel shall take place jointly.

Please send the registration form for the conference and a short 200−300 word abstract regarding the speech to the e-mail address katka.volna@ustrcr.cz by February 28, 2009.

The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes shall provide accommodations in Prague, pay part of the travel expenses to Prague, and also part of the expenses for meals during the conference for official conference speakers. The conference fee does not have to be paid.

The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes reserves the right to include your speech in the conference’s programme and/or in this conference’s magazine.