After Utopia: Czechoslovak Normalization between Experiment and Experience, 1968-1989

The Hus Ak government that came into power after the suppression of the Prague Spring formulated the goal of restoring "normality" in Czechoslovakia. It revoked prior reforms and initiated widespread "cleansing measures" and repression. Most notably, however, it lacked a clear vision for the future. The contributions in this volume show that the 1970s and 1980s were nevertheless not a time of complete stagnation. Efforts at restoration and modernization frequently existed simultaneously and...