Commentary
The Prague Spring and the occupation itself are understood differently by different groups of people. Social acceptance of the revival process took various forms and the non-aligned, non-Communist majority often remained more cautious in their expectations than the reformers themselves within the Communist Party. The statements in the final scene of this feature film shot in 1997 are also shown by the language of the media. There are distinct calls for nonviolent resistance and expressions of confidence in the former leadership headed by Dubček. From today’s perspective, the radio host rather absurdly insists on maintaining the “socialist” nature of the regime in line with mainstream thinking at the time. It is, however, among other things, a significantly different idea about what socialism is or might be, and does not insist on a centralised authoritarian arrangement.
