Teachers in Totalitarian Regime – Life and Work of Teachers in Czechoslovakia in the Era of so called Normalization (1969-1989)

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Authors

ZOUNEK Jiří ŠIMÁNĚ Michal

Year of publication 2014
Type Appeared in Conference without Proceedings
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Description In their contribution, authors are focusing on the history of education in socialist Czechoslovakia. Particularly on the period of time from 1968 to 1989, which is known as the era of normalization, the period of renewal of pro-soviet totalitarian regime and termination of all democratic efforts. Era of normalization had influence also on education. As well as in political and social development, the reformation activities were stopped also in education. All relationships with west world (countries behind the Iron Curtain) were broken. On the other hand the influence of communist party in education was strengthened. It could have been seen in act of making school work (didactic content) even more ideological. Furthermore autonomy of teachers was more restricted, to study abroad was not possible etc. School was understood as a support of socialism, once again the “kádrové” evaluation of pupils and teachers was tightened. This evaluation was aimed mainly at political loyalty to governing political party, at her support or at her active promoting. Main goal of the contribution is to present the sub-results of research targeted on exploration and description of daily life at a primary school (ISCED 1 and 2) during the normalization. Historical research is primarily based on oral history of which authors gained data about everyday life at school as well as about life and work of teachers. Using this method of oral history enables obtain unique information about daily life at primary school and teachers´ private and professional lives during the period of normalization. Authors also used traditional methods of historian’s work (heuristics and work with historical sources) and some of methods of the visual history (e.g.: analysis of pictorial materials or analysis of teachers´ preparations for teaching). The contribution determines what teachers (witnesses) consider to be critical moments in their professional lives at school during normalization, if and how they met and confront this regime, how the changes of former regime influenced their work as pedagogues (for instance at the beginning of seventieth and then during eighties).
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