Organisations which influenced the perception of Soviet culture in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s

Abstract

In the 1930s, there were several changes in contacts between the Czechoslovak Republic and the Soviet Union. Russian emigration no longer had such a strong influence on the opinions of Czechoslovak society. On the other hand, the influence of the so-called left intelligentsia (inclined to the Soviet Union) was increasing under the growing threat of aggression from Nazi Germany. In 1935, Czechoslovakia officially recognized the existence of the Soviet Union; in terms of mutual relations, it represented a huge step. Several agreements were concluded, illegal and semi-legal contacts and connections became legal, and frequently they were further developed directly under the patronage of government representatives. The contacts between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia were not of exclusively political character: there were intensive contacts between the two states in the cultural sphere. Several organizations helped to maintain cultural relations, some of which were founded directly with the aim of establishing and developing contacts and cultural cooperation with the USSR, while others were supported these activities indirectly; the purpose of their work was to present the cultural development of other states, including that of the USSR, to the Czechoslovak public. Many of these organizations also hosted cultural and discussion evenings exhibitions, concerts, and lectures to inform the public of news from the Soviet Union. This article presents an analysis of the activities of the Society for Economic and Cultural Relations with the USSR, the Union of Friends of the USSR, “Left Front”, “Artistic Talk”, and the Painters’ Association “Manes” in the context of the political and historical situation of the 1930s in Czechoslovakia. The development of these relations was interrupted by the Munich events and the subsequent proclamation of the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.