The Role of Intelligentsia in Modern Czech History

The Role of Intelligentsia in Modern Czech History

All four attempts to establish an independent Czech state in the 20th century, in 1918, 1945, 1968 and 1989, indicate that such a state can be built up only through democracy. The paper aims to show that the leading role of Czech intellectuals in the political changes of the year 1989 was by no means casual. On the contrary, it corresponded to the traditional position of the intelligentsia in the Czech society and to its functions in politics and culture. Czech culture, especially literature, has always fulfilled political tasks. Under the reign of Austria, Germany, as well as Russia, the Czech politics found itself in the state of clinical death. In such circumstances, it was just the voice of literature and art that expressed anxiety and hopes of the society and helped to maintain the national consciousness. It goes without saying that such a substitute function is typical for the literature of jeopardized nations. As the Czech nation had to fight for its bare existence and independence nearly from the very beginning of its history, the Czech intelligentsia had always been the vanguard of political, cultural, and social changes.