This document describes the experiences of a young Czech couple, Peter and Hana, who fled communist Czechoslovakia during the Soviet invasion of 1968. They grew up under Stalinist rule where Peter's family lost their farm under collectivization. In 1968, the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress political reforms, prompting Peter and Hana to escape on motorcycle through the mountains to Austria and eventually the United States. The document also discusses the daughter's efforts to understand her parents' distrust of socialism and left-leaning politics based on their experiences under communism.

1. Czech Republic
Beroun, their small farming town
Prague, their capital
A young couple’s journey
to escape communism
and the Soviet invasion
of August 1968.
Sue Medlin, group 4, page 1
From Stalinist communism
to American democracy-

2. 1948 saw the communist coup and the
implementation of the Planned Economy.
 Peter and Hana were children ofPeter and Hana were children of
kulaks; land owning farmers. Thekulaks; land owning farmers. The
planned economy establishedplanned economy established
collective farming (kolkhoz) on ancollective farming (kolkhoz) on an
industrial scale that resulted in theindustrial scale that resulted in the
confiscation of land from the kulaksconfiscation of land from the kulaks
and the redistribution of wealthand the redistribution of wealth
among the proletariatamong the proletariat (Wikipedia 2010)(Wikipedia 2010)
 Stalinist socialism ruled their worldStalinist socialism ruled their world
during their formative youth. Theduring their formative youth. The
new constitution for thenew constitution for the
Czechoslovak Socialist RepublicCzechoslovak Socialist Republic
promised the right to work, leisure,promised the right to work, leisure,
health care, and education…health care, and education…
the reality was something altogetherthe reality was something altogether
different for them and their friends.different for them and their friends.
Sue M, pg.2Sue M, pg.2
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Soviet propaganda poster “Comrade, come join our kolkhoz!”

3. 1956: USSR eased Stalinism, but the communist
Czech government retained it, abolishing all private
enterprise using hired labor (Eurozine 8/2008)
• Peter’s father had lost his farm
and livelihood to the collective
and he was forced into menial
labor. He became a member of
the writer’s underground, a
movement of dissidents willing
to protest this oppression at
any cost.
• The Writer’s Rebellion in April
of that year was suppressed by
the communists but not
destroyed. 1965 saw political
reforms but the communists
pushed back hard in 1967.
• Sue M. pg. 3

4. 1968: Political turmoil caused a massive Soviet response
with several Warsaw Pact armies invading the Republic.
Many dissidents were killed or sent to Siberian prison camps.
 Peter and Hana were wed among this chaos
and were urged by his father to flee to the west.
They took what little they could and motorcycled
cross-country to a mountain pass where they
hiked into Austria, and eventually made their
way to America. Forty-thousand others
emigrated that year to America and Canada
(Wkipedia, 2010).
 Hana stands by the border crossing
near where they had escaped over forty
years ago.
 Peter’s father was killed during the ensuing
violence against the writers. One of them,
Vaclav Havel, was to become the president of
his new country during the Velvet Revolution in
1989. This marked the end of the country called
Czechslovakia and established Slovakia and the
Czech Republic.
 A visit to the grave of Peter’s father.
 Sue M. pg.4

5. Peter and Hana Medlin are my parents, but I don’t
understand their politics…could it be that-
Under Communism:
They didn’t trust the messenger, so the
message itself must be suspect.
Stalinist socialism hurt them and their
families deeply.
Any talk of redistributing wealth meant the
loss of their farm and livelihood.
The communists were “leftists” and their
state-run media controlled all information.
Planned Economy meant state control of
industry, finance, healthcare, work conditions.
Being “other oriented” (Beebe, 2010, ch.6,
pg.164) is the key for me to understand my
parents’ reality filter. They are a product of
their environment and experience-as are we
all-and have a hard time separating fact from
fiction.
Under American Democracy:
The messenger is suspect because the
message sounds the same as with communism,
i.e. Right to work, healthcare, education?
President Obama has been labeled a socialist
by the cable talking heads, so is he a commie?
Eliminating tax cuts for the wealthy is
redistributing wealth to the middle class?
The political right has labeled the American
media “liberal or leftist”, so it’s better to
trust the right-wing whackjobs?
Government Stimulus Plan mirrored these
controls, but for a different reason and a
different end. Is this attempt at saving our
economy to be equated with Stalinism????
I will endeavor to use social decentering,
empathy and patience when conversing with
them on all subjects. I will try to help them
understand that not all those in control are to
be mistrusted.
Sue M. pg.5

6. References (Sue Medlin)
Hana Medlin, in-person interview, November 2010
All photos courtesy of Hana and Peter Medlin. October 2006 visit to Czech
Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S.J. & Ivy, D. K. (2010). Communication Principles for a Lifetime..
• Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Allyn & Bacon
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_farming
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadians_of_Czech_ethnicity (21,000 68/69)
• http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-08-21-abraham-en.html
• http://comeniusonexile.blogspot.com/2010/02/normal-0-microsoftinternetexplorer4_4731.html
(20,000 68/69)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring
• Sue M. pg 6

7. References (Sue Medlin)
Hana Medlin, in-person interview, November 2010
All photos courtesy of Hana and Peter Medlin. October 2006 visit to Czech
Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S.J. & Ivy, D. K. (2010). Communication Principles for a Lifetime..
• Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Allyn & Bacon
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_farming
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadians_of_Czech_ethnicity (21,000 68/69)
• http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-08-21-abraham-en.html
• http://comeniusonexile.blogspot.com/2010/02/normal-0-microsoftinternetexplorer4_4731.html
(20,000 68/69)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring
• Sue M. pg 6