Reakce již bourá pomníky a my… teprve projednáváme! Některé aspekty debaty o XX. sjezdu KSSS ve vybraných nižších organizacích KSČ
Reaction is pulling down monuments and we ... have only just started debating! Some aspects of the debate about the 20th Congress of the CPCU in selected lower CPC organizations

Summary/Abstract: The debate that was held in region and district committees of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (CPC) following the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) aptly reflected the general situation in the party in the mid 1950s. At lower party levels, the ongoing absence of efficient communication mechanisms often had a negative impact. It transpired that the CPC was far from united in its opinions. The tendency to suppress circulation of information within the party proved problematic, counterproductive and to a certain extent unsustainable as it continued to undermine the trust of part of the party membership in the work of the CPC apparatus in the tumultuous atmosphere surrounding the denouncing of Stalinist practice. However, it would be a mistake to see it as a rift between the party leadership and party members. Supporters of different approaches could be found on all party levels. Thus, against the backdrop of an intraparty debate, a major conflict broke out between efforts to maintain some elements typical for a Stalinist form of government and attempts at its revision. Not all changes introduced to the Czechoslovak setting following the 20th Congress of the CPSU and the ensuing debate were welcomed by lower levels of the CPC. The change in the narratives that the state socialist dictatorship used to underpin its legitimacy received a particularly favourable response. This change, however, started in Czechoslovakia as early as 1953; the congress in Moscow and the debate on it only made the process faster and more profound. Escalated rhetoric concerning the international situation was in decline as were also blanket repressions affecting also the loyal levels of society; on the other hand, consumption and measures aimed at enhancing the standards of living were accentuated. As a result of introducing these attractive topics to the general public people felt less dissatisfied. Consequently, the debate on the conclusions of the Moscow congress helped establish a certain consensus in the party, though it was partly established authoritatively.

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