Celebrating Liberation: The Commemoration and Instrumentalisation of the End of the Second World War in Contemporary Czech and Slovak Politics

This book contributes to the discussion about the instrumental use of history. It analyses two examples of public festivities related to the events and legacy of the final stage of World War II: the Liberation Festival in Pilsen and the celebration of the Slovak National Uprising anniversary, held annually in Banská Bystrica.

Autorentext

Vladimír Naxera and Petr Krc ál are political scientists at the University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic. Their research is focused on populism, the use of history as a political tool, and performative aspects of politics.

Inhalt

Prologue Preface Introduction: The importance of researching public celebrations and commemorations of the past Politics, history, memory, and commemoration Liberation Festival in the most "American city" in Europe Slovak National Uprising as a "national treasure" and its annual celebrations in Banská Bystrica Conclusion Epilogue List of figures Bibliography