Petr Pospěch

* 1938

Relative of a political prisoner, Svědci lokálních událostí z éry komunismu
21. 8. 1968 - Invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops, 29. 9. 1938 - The Munich Diktat, 17. 4. 1969 – A. Dubček’s resignation, start of the “normalisation” period, 1948 - 1955 - Politic lawsuit in the Stalin age, 17. 11. - 29. 12. 1989 - The Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia
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    Breaking mining records

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    duration: 01:15
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    “One time in the mine, they came up with the idea that we’d make a record. The extraction stage was set up like never before, and as soon as everything was ready fifty people charged into the shaft. The engineers, head engineer, and others fed into the record breaking as well, they went to the conveyor belts to get to their cut of reward. And they mined. The record breaking resulted in a total mess. Under normal circumstances everything had to be tidied up, moved, secured, but when they were making a record, they kept going and just measured how much they’d extracted. But it’s clear that you can’t keep working like that, and I still don’t get how anyone can work at 140%. Working at 140%, that nonsense! I can do my work perfectly, but I don’t what it means to work at 140%. Going at 140% means either the workplace standards are shoddy, or it’s a swindle.”

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    Obligatory participation in May Day parades

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    duration: 00:55
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    “I had to attend the May Day parade with the apprentices. First, I decorated the whole school, I made up and write my own slogans, and I’m surprised I never slipped up. We made banners, there was a parade, and because the rule was that if you stood on the pavement, you didn’t love the republic, we listened to some big cheese making a speech, and we marched off in line through the whole city for two and a half hours. When it finished, I got hold of two dull-witted apprentices, who stayed with me, and together we took all the things and tidied them away.”

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    Preparing May Day banners

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    duration: 00:30
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    “After some time they got used to me at the school, I was given free reign when preparing the May Day banners, and I could make up the slogans myself - so it was similar to when I did military service. I thought I rebel one day, that I’d write some nonsense on a banner and they’d fire me. But what would I do then? Where would I go? I had a family and responsibility. It wouldn’t have been worth it. There was nothing to be done.”

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    Hlučín, 16.04.2016

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    duration: 01:51:57
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I’m surprised I never slipped up

Petr Pospěch (2016)
Petr Pospěch (2016)

Petr Pospěch was born on 1 October 1938 in Karviná. He is the son of a political prisoner, convicted in a show trial during Stalinism. After graduating from a secondary technical school (1957) and completing his mandatory military service (1957-1959), he found employment at Bytostav (Flat Constructions). In 1962 he became a miner; in time he acquired a basic teaching education, and then until 1989 he worked as a master training apprentice miners. Before retiring (1994) he taught at a secondary technical school.

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