Red Tape: Radio and Politics in Czechoslovakia, 1945-1969
by Rosamund Johnston
Stanford Studies on Central and Eastern Europe Series
Stanford University Press
2024. 308 pp.
(paper), ISBN 978-1-5036-3869-3
Reviewed by Frank Henschel (Kiel University)
Communism on Air
Rosamund Johnston’s Red Tape provides a nuanced exploration of radio broadcasting during the so-called second golden age of radio in Communist Czechoslovakia, spanning approximately 1945 to 1969. This periodization mirrors central important events and shifts in European postwar history. This period includes the first half of the postwar era and the initial phase of Communist rule following the Communist takeover in February 1948. It is marked by significant political and social transformations, including Stalinization, de-Stalinization, reform, socialist globalization, and the Prague Spring and its suppression.
Johnston defines radio as “an assembly of technology, content, and listening practices” (p. 11). Her study meticulously investigates these three dimensions embedded in a frame of political, social, and cultural history of Czechoslovakia and Central Eastern Europe. This approach ensures that her work is not merely a history of technology, journalism, or media reception in isolation but also a sophisticated interweaving of all these aspects. Thus, this book is for the benefit of all historians of postwar Europe and, due to its readability, for a broader interested audience as well.
Following a concise and engaging introduction, Johnston unfolds her subject across seven chapters. Chapter 1 explores the myth of the Prague uprising on May 5, 1945, purportedly driven by radio broadcasts; the significance of radio for the Communist Party; and the generally positive stance of many journalists toward the party. The second and fourth chapters focus on Stalinization and de-Stalinization respectively, while the third and sixth chapters are dedicated to travel reports and foreign reporting. The fifth chapter investigates the listening practices and habits of the Czechoslovak radio audience and explores listeners’ ways and motivations for listening to foreign radio. The seventh chapter, then, examines the role of radio during the Prague Spring and the subsequent military invasion by the Warsaw Pact. Johnston’s elaborate research, grounded in archives from Czech radio in Prague and Bratislava as well as many other sources, such as party documents, reporters’ scripts and texts, and notes and correspondence, provides a rich foundation for her analysis. While acknowledging the inherent Prague-centric bias in much of the historical record, she skillfully mitigates this limitation to offer a balanced view of Czechoslovak radio history.
One of the notable aspects of Johnston’s work is her exploration of the role of radio in the processes of Stalinization and de-Stalinization in chapters 2 and 4, as well as its role in political reform during the Prague Spring in 1968 in chapter 7. Johnston aligns with Pavel Kolá?’s perspective in Der Poststalinismus: Ideologie und Utopie einer Epoche (2016), understanding (post-)Stalinism not merely as a political regime but also as a distinct form of communication and language. She highlights how radio was instrumental in the dramatization and language of Stalinism, particularly during the show trials of the early 1950s, including those against the former General Secretary Rudolf Slánský. In these broadcasts, the radio not only conveyed but also actively participated in the staging of Stalinist rhetoric and propaganda, shaping public perception through its dramatic presentation and language.
Johnston also explores how radio later became a key medium and driver of de-Stalinization. During this period, radio emerged as a platform where journalistic practices were critically examined. This era saw a push for greater professionalism and scrutiny in journalism, reflecting a broader attempt to reform and distance the media from the excesses of Stalinist control. In 1968, then, radio journalists were at the front of flaying the Communist Party as engaged members and reformists. Although they used the new freedom after censorship was banned for open discussion and broad exchange with the audience, they still felt highly responsible for the decency and professionalism of the debate. Journalists posited themselves as “mediators between authorities and audience” (p. 220).
Here and elsewhere, Johnston’s analysis extends to the dynamic relationship between radio reporters and their audiences. She examines how trust between broadcasters and listeners was cultivated and how reporters managed the delicate balance between propaganda, news reporting, and entertainment. This relationship was crucial in understanding how radio was both a tool of state control and a medium for genuine information exchange. In chapter 3, Johnston highlights the popularity of radio adventurers Ji?í Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Their engaging reports from remote regions like Africa and South America resonated deeply with Czechoslovak audiences, surpassing the earlier fame of František Foit and reflecting a widespread public fascination with global exploration. The same applies to V?ra Š?oví?ková, who reported from Africa as a correspondent in the 1960s and took up and strengthened the reform discourse in her reporting. In chapter 6, Johnston depicts Š?oví?ková as another example of the relevance of women in this profession and of the agency and independence of journalism, whose role in the run-up to the Prague Spring has so far been underestimated in research in favor of writers, philosophers, and scientists.
Chapter 5 is particularly insightful in the exploration of listeners’ subjectivity, another key aspect of the book. Johnston delves into why Czechoslovak citizens tuned in to foreign radio stations like Radio Vienna and Radio Free Europe. Contrary to the regime’s characterization of these actions as purely subversive, Johnston identifies multifaceted motivations. These include the region’s multilingual heritage, especially the cultural importance of the German language; the desire for broad-ranging news coverage; and a quest for light and diverse entertainment not always or only available through state-controlled media in Czechoslovakia.
In conclusion, Johnston’s Red Tape is a significant contribution to media history, Eastern European studies, and the study of Communist regimes. By integrating a thorough examination of regulatory processes with an in-depth analysis of listener subjectivity, the impact of Stalinization and de-Stalinization, and the relationships between radio reporters and their audience, Johnston provides a comprehensive and compelling portrait of radio broadcasting in Communist Czechoslovakia. Johnston weaves together biographies, events, structures, and shifts in a compelling and insightful manner. She establishes the history of radio as a mirror of Czechoslovakia’s mid-twentieth-century history. Building on numerous recent studies with similar perspectives and hypotheses, Johnston demonstrates that the socialist system was not solely built and maintained through repression and control by the state.[1] Instead, it rested on multiple pillars, with many areas of society, ideology, and bureaucracy cooperating intricately. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the interplay between state control, media, and individual agency in the history of modern societies.
Note
[1]. One of the most recent works on subjectivities in Communist Czechoslovakia is Sebastian Lambertz, Sozialistische Subjektivitäten: Deutungen des “neuen Menschen” in der Tschechoslowakei 1953–1963 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2023).
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Citation: Frank Henschel. Review of Johnston, Rosamund, Red Tape: Radio and Politics in Czechoslovakia, 1945-1969. H-Socialisms, H-Net Reviews. September, 2024.
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