JAN PALACH, Czech hero

50 years ago today, on 16th January 1969, Jan Palach (1948-69), a student at Charles University, Prague, doused himself in petrol, struck a match and set fire to himself on the steps of the National Museum in Wenceslas Square, in the heart of Prague. He was taken to a nearby hospital and died 4 days later.

The authorities did their best to suppress all information about what was clearly a brave, desperate and overtly political act. But Palach had left letters for his friends and various organisations and so his name and self-sacrifice resonated around the world.

He was protesting against the Soviet-led invasion of August 1968, which suppressed the “Prague Spring”, in which Alexander Dubcek, the leader of the Czechoslovak Communist Party and government introduced “Socialism with a human face”. Most of all he was calling on the people of his country to rise up, conducting strikes and other actions against the Soviet-imposed clamp-down on any move towards democracy. He was calling on the people to cast aside the demoralization which had set in after the invasion, by standing up for themselves, for national independence, for defiance of the forces which were turning back the clock to the era of Stalinism.

During the early months of 1968, there was a struggle in the Central Committee of the Czechoslovak Communist Party between groups seeking liberalisation and those wanting to retain Soviet-style central control on every aspect of the economy and life in general. The progressives won and this caused grave concern in Moscow, being seen as a threat to the whole Warsaw Pact.  All attempts at Soviet interference in his country  were resisted by Dubcek, while the people of Czechoslovakia became increasingly excited by the liberalisation of the country. Communists in the other countries of Europe, especially western Europe, also became excited by this, the greatest hope of release from Stalinist practices since the 23rd Congress  of  the Soviet Communist Party in 1966, at which the crimes of the Stalin era were detailed and denounced.

Czechoslovakia was the first industrially advanced country to begin building socialism following the inception of its communist-led government in 1948. In the economy, the organisations of production, distribution and exchange were transferred to the state. There were accompanying advances towards a welfare state.  But the centralisation of control seen as essential at that time became habitual and continued long after it ceased to be necessary and instead became a brake on initiative, innovation and democracy.

For 20 years, between 1948 and 1968, the people became increasingly subdued, cynical and alienated from the Communist Party and the whole socialist system.  There were violations of the law by the government and police and widespread abuse of power.

Then came 1968, the flowering of socialism with a human face and an explosion of hope and enthusiasm.

There were similar developments in Poland and their eventual suppression led to a death by Self-immolation.

Jan Palach was aware of this and aware of such acts by Buddhist monks in Vietnam, protesting against the war provoked by the United States.

Jan Palach’s example was followed by other courageous young people in Czechoslovakia.

 

The Soviet invasion and vicious suppression of democracy in Czechoslovakia caused turmoil in the communist parties of western Europe. While some members championed Dubcek and his allies, others clung to their old faith that the Soviet regime could not be wrong and that the Czechoslovak Communist Party was a threat to socialism throughout eastern Europe and needed to be kept under Soviet control.

The destruction of the Prague Spring caused disillusionment in  Communist parties throughout the world and severely set back their electoral chances. There has been no recovery from this position.

In 1969, Jan Palach’s sacrifice made him a martyr for the causes of democracy, hope and humanity.

He will continue to be remembered every 16th January.