Particularly in recent years, we have witnessed a purposeful reshaping of history and historical events to suit the current needs of politicians and groups celebrating the era of socialism and its totalitarian regime. They downplay or outright ignore the persecution of citizens for holding differing political views or religious convictions, the ban on free travel, and the omnipresent censorship.

Frequently, it is young people in particular who, when searching for information on the internet, fail to distinguish between the credibility of various sources. As a rule, they are presented with information that is either partially manipulated or completely altered. Consequently, due to a lack of awareness, they may unwittingly contribute to the further spread of what is, in reality, targeted propaganda.

Consequently, the events of August 1968, rather than being recognized as the Occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops, are purposefully presented as the protection of socialist values and social security for its citizens. Similarly, the Velvet Revolution of November 1989 is framed as a coup orchestrated by the State Security (StB) and dissidents, who allegedly seized power to destroy the Czechoslovak economy, sell off state assets, and enrich themselves.

I spent practically 21 years of my life living under the totalitarian regime. Due to an unfavorable “cadre profile” (my father had resigned from the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in protest against the 1968 invasion by the occupying forces), I was rejected from studying journalism after graduating from high school—despite having already published dozens of articles and photographs in the daily press prior to my entrance exams. My father’s career advancement was halted, and given that we also had family living in what was then the Federal Republic of Germany, we were far from being among the regime’s “favorites.”

Consequently, the fall of the communist regime in the USSR and subsequently across the Eastern Bloc was significantly accelerated by the tragic and, to date, largest nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant. The material, financial, and human costs of the cleanup and containment efforts were so staggering that the Soviet Union, already deeply exhausted financially at the time, stood no chance of keeping the communist regime functional, even with the support of its satellite states.