Czech, Slovak descendants in Iowa see parallels of 1968 Czechoslovakia invasion in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

CEDAR RAPIDS — The events unfolding in Ukraine potentially hold dire implications for the future, but the war also brings back memories of other historical conflicts in the region.

That includes some residents in the Czech Village in Cedar Rapids.

In a statement last week, officials at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, the Cedar Rapids- based cultural center, said there are “startling parallels” between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the past Soviet Union invasion of former Czechoslovakia.

“I think (Vladimir) Putin overstepped when he went into what we would call a democratic Ukraine, and that’s why we’re seeing the fierce loyalty of Ukrainians to fight the Russians because they want to preserve their freedom and democracy,” said NCSML President and Chief Executive Officer Cecilia Rokusek. “That is exactly what we experienced in Czechoslovakia in 1968.”

When the Soviet Union occupied present day Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1968, it was a blow to democracy and the individual freedoms of the country’s residents, Rokusek said.

Though only a few would remember the events of 1968, many may have memories of what it was like to live under communism, Rokusek said. As a cultural center, the role of the NCSML is to preserve the culture and the stories of those who lived in the region — and to remind others what is at stake in Ukraine.

“For those of us that have roots in that region, it’s significant,” Rokusek said. “We see that we had peace and democracy for more than 30 years, and that’s all being challenged.”

Comparisons to 1968 invasion

The Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 following the Prague Spring, a peaceful reform movement that aimed to give citizens more freedoms, which prompted the country to move closer toward democracy.

The reforms were not well received by the Soviets.

In August 1968, Soviet armed forces occupied the country, bringing Czechoslovakia to heel under communism for another 20 years. It was the largest military operation in Europe since the end of World War II, according to historians.

Immigrants from that region now living in Cedar Rapids agree that there are parallels between 1968 and today, but say the events currently unfolding in Ukraine are much more dire.

“It wasn’t war,” Andrea Siebenmann, the director of the museum store and visitor services at the NCSML who was born and raised in Slovakia. “I don’t think we can entirely compare the situation to Ukraine. In 1968, it was very ideologically based, but this is people’s lives.”

For starters, the invasion in 1968 was relatively peaceful because Czechoslovakia put up little resistance to the occupation. The Ukrainian military, on the other hand, has put up a strong fight against the Russian invasion.

As of Thursday, Kyiv was still in Ukrainian control as Russian forces continue to hammer the area around the capital with missile strikes. The Russian military continues to bombard major cities along Ukraine’s borders and has seized control of areas along the south and eastern borders, including the country’s largest nuclear power plant, according to the latest reports.

It’s estimated hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have been killed and more than a thousand more have injured since the war began, but the Washington Post reported this tally is likely an undercount.

Events in Ukraine have raised concerns about the potential for larger global conflict for many, and has hit close to home for those Europeans living near the war.

Tomas Slepicka, a former resident of Brno, Czech Republic, who moved to Cedar Rapids in 2014, said the invasion has been a wake-up call for his family and friends in the Czech Republic. Though they know they are part of NATO, unlike Ukraine, he said Czech citizens were frightened by how suddenly Ukrainian lives changed.

“It’s just one step closer,” Slepicka said. “They just realize how little needs to happen before the soldiers were there and the life of the peaceful, modern country that was growing and developing in the right direction can change.”

Since the invasion began Feb. 24, it has produced more than 3 million refugees fleeing into neighboring countries to the West, according to the United Nations. The vast majority — 1.9 million — have fled into Poland, but U.N. officials estimate more nearly 230,000 refugees have made their way into Slovakia.

Siebenmann’s hometown of Nitra in the western part of Slovakia, located several miles from the Ukrainian border, has seen an influx of refugees arrive in recent weeks. She said it’s been bizarre to watch these refugees arrive from a country that she never expected to be war zone.

“It’s unnerving,” she said. “It must be absolutely devastating for Ukrainians.”

Life after 1968

Siebenmann was 3 years old when the Soviet forces invaded Czechoslovakia. She said her parents never spoke out against the party, likely to protect her, so she was never aware as a child that anything was wrong. It wasn’t until she was older that she understood the differences between her country and others.

Slepicka was born after the 1968 invasion, but recalled stories from his grandparents’ experiences under communism.

One of Slepicka’s grandfathers was a university professor who was nearly fired for expressing his opposition against the Soviet’s occupation of Czechoslovakia. He wasn’t able to complete his Ph.D. degree or publish any books until after Soviet control ended, Slepicka said.

Soviet Union control of Czechoslovakia ended in 1989 during the Velvet Revolution, a non-violent transition of power that ended communist rule in the country. Czechoslovakia held a democratic election the following year, the first since 1946.

Siebenmann recalled how jarring it was to witness the transition from Soviet control, which took place after she finished college.

“It was so weird for me,” she said. “It was like, ‘where did I live all this time?’ I was not completely oblivious, I was aware of the differences … but 1989 was really strange. It was a brutal awakening.”

Rokusek believes its important to learn about the past — such as Prague Spring and the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia — and bring it to a present day context in order to stop history from repeating itself “and to protect freedom and democracy,” she said.

“That is so incredibly important,” she said. “There's a generation here that has no idea what communism was like, and so we have to be able to bring that to the forefront and be able to combat that so our precious freedom and democracy is never lost.”

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