Czech Republic/ 1. Historical perspective: cultural policies and instruments  

After the Second World War, the territory of then-Czechoslovakia fell under the Soviet influence. It was one of the main reasons why the Communists seized the power for 50 years after the "February revolution" in 1948. In 1960, the state changed its name to Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Methods of totalitarian power and economic problems aroused bigger and bigger resistance which culminated by Prague Spring in 1968 and general liberalization in all fields including the field of culture as well. All these efforts were suppressed in August of the same year with the invasion of the Warsaw Treaty armies. After an unsuccessful attempt for democratization, the so-called normalization started after 1969; it can be characterized as a period when all individuals and activities that did not agree with the Soviet occupation and following normalization were persecuted by the state. Many important Czech personalities from all art and culture disciplines were persecuted at that time.  At the beginning of the 1980s, democratizing tendencies started to grow more intensively again. The situation in Czechoslovakia resulted in the so-called "Velvet Revolution" in November 1989. This process brought essential political, social and economic changes in whole society and it has changed the shape of culture in the Czech Republic (CR).

In 1993, then-Czech and Slovak Federative Republic split into two independent states - the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic - after a mutual agreement of both federations. The CR joined the European Union on 1^st May 2004 after a referendum. Czechoslovakia belongs to the founding members of UNESCO. After the split of Czechoslovakia, the independent CR became its member in 1993.

Until 1989, there was a dense network of ideologically controlled and endowed cultural facilities - libraries, cultural centres and houses, cinemas, theatres, museums, monuments, observatories etc. This network had developed, it was centralized in the 1950s and structurally reorganized in the 1970s.

At the beginning of the 1990s, there was a mass privatization and denationalization of this network. All state institutions like book publishers and music industries, film studios, circuses or art agencies were privatized. Some state ideological cultural institutions were cancelled. State funds like Czech Music Fund and others were transformed into foundations according to a new act about foundations. See also  chapter 8.1.1.

Denationalization of cultural facilities was a very important step in the process of democratization. This process is also very closely connected with the Territorial Reform of Public Administration in the CR. The Act on municipalities unbound the local authorities from organizational subordination of the state and it allowed them to establish cultural institutions. Many cultural institutions were transferred to them from the state level - mainly theatres.

The first period of the territorial reform ended with establishing of new higher territorial units - 14 regions that was executed on the basis of the Constitutional Act No. 347/1997 Coll. The regions started their actual activity with the effect of the Act on regions since 1st January 2001. In the second period of the reform of territorial public administration, dozens of museums, galleries and libraries were transferred to regions on the basis of the Act on transfer of certain objects, rights and liabilities from the property of the CR to regions and municipalities, dozens of museums, galleries and libraries were transferred to the regions. See also  chapter 7.1.

The first strategic document in the field of culture was elaborated in 1996 for the Ministry of Culture of the CR in the form of co-called White Book, - a study that included the description of the relation of the state to culture and examples of cultural policies of the European countries. It also included a proposal for innovation of the grant system of the MC.

The first governmental policy in the history of the CR was ratified by the Government Decree of the CR No. 401 in April 1999 and it was called Strategy of Effective Cultural Support.

In 2001, the government approved Cultural Policy in the CR 2001-2005 with its decree No. 40. Provisions connected with the membership of the Czech Republic in the European Union and reform of the public administration ranked among the main topics of cultural policy.

In November 2008, the government approved the National Cultural Policy 2009-2014 by its decree No. 1452. It is a document that focuses on understanding culture more like a discipline that is not only appropriate but also useful to invest time, energy, human and financial potential. See also  chapter 3.

Chapter updated: 17-06-2010