L'humanisme endurant : Tchécoslovaquie, 1968-1989

Since the end of the Second World War, Tchécoslovaquie has lived like no other country under the sign of a chancelant or vigourous original humanism, instructed by its great tutélaire figure, the man of state and philosopher Tomas Masaryk (1850 - 1937). Placed since 1946 under the rule of an implacable communist regime, the Czech population did not succeed in inviting a new prince. invented a new revolution in 1968, réprimé par la suite, but with the germs that led to the non-violent Velour Revolution in December 1989. For the historian Karel Bosko, it is an original and particularly subtle humanism that allowed this revolution without equivalent in Europe. In this essay, the author guides us through the adventures of a singular movement, incarnated by great figures such as Alexander Dubcek and Vaclav Havel and portrayed by many others. This chronicle, beyond factual history, is also a reflection on the Western world and the way in which it reacted to the Prague Revolution. In this respect, a Michel Foucault does not fit a perspective at the height of his genre. Throughout these pages, which revive a splendid fight for freedom, Karel Bosko expresses a conviction that it is important to share: this enduring humanism can still inspire a contemporary world that is desperately short of ideas.