The Tschech Republic and the European Union
Author: Alzbeta Zemona
School: Gymnasium Jatecni in Usti nad Labem / Tschech Republic
Teacher: Iveta Hejdukova (English,) Pavel Sebek (Geography)
There are three generations in our family. How the time went - each generation lived in an other epoch.
My grandparents experienced 40 years of socialism. They were nearly 20 years old when the communist take-over came true. They told me a lot of their life before the year 1989. Communist regime had many mistakes and disadvantages but they found several positive features too.
To the biggest problems belonged that there was not any permission to say your opinion publicly and openly. If you had another attitude than the members of communist party, you could be given to the prison. The freedom of the media did not exist. There were a few illegal organisations trying to create an opposite side to the regime.
The whole power in the state was controlled by the communist party. There were more political parties but this status was only formal. Everybody had to vote for the communist party. That means that each citizen was observed by special office holder who made the notes about him or her, whom he or she voted and if he or she was really voting. To give your vote was a duty.
All people were told what to do in their lives. It was not easy to study at a school chosen by yourself if your parents were not in the party. Young students were divided due to need to each profession. It was normal that people with high education worked as guards in the train if they did not agree with ideas of communism.
People were not allowed to travel abroad - only to Eastern Europe. There was a lack in goods. The diversity of goods was not so large and it was usual that people waited in a queue in front of the shops for special products for hours. It happened that if you wanted a car or a washing machine you had to wait for more than two years for it.
The politicians and a large branch of heavy machinery did not pay attention to the nature. The environment was badly damaged.
To baptize the babies was a secret event because the communist comrades tried to put the religion down. On the other hand the unemployment number was not so high. People had to work and had bigger social certainty. Mainly workmen were satisfied. People were not so envious because everybody had the same things. There were not so many crimes because of the strict rules in the country. The special organisation for children filled in the free time.
After the year 1989 everyone expected that the better times are there at last. My parents belong to the intelligence and their position got better after the change. They are more appreciated now.
They told me that the first 6 months after November were wonderful. People were kind to each other, everything seemed to become better. My parents expected the politicians to be there for people at last but they are disappointed in this area. There are more criminals, envious people and dishonest fellows in our society now.
The better side means that the standard of living has changed. People have an opportunity to travel, to choose from a wide range of goods and say freely their ideas. The level of social care f. e. in the hospitals has risen and a life expectancy should be higher. Many people have started to take care about environment and old building which needed a repair.
Anyway our economic situation is not so high as we hoped but I think after twelve years it is too early to make conclusions.
I hope that our entrance to the EU brings some benefit for our country. We live in a quite small republic and the level of industry and economy is not as advanced as in the states of the West. I am afraid that we will not adapt to the fast economical European speed. EURO currency is compared with the Czech Crown very strong and I think that prices of the goods will rise.
The standard of living should be better but the social differences among
people will lead to bad relations.
The borders should be open and we will be allowed to work and live where
we want. Therefore I do not like the prohibitions of working abroad for
several years after our entrance.
I hope I will find a good job and a place to live in. The flats are very expensive for young people who think to establish a family.
As concerns media I think it will be no problem to express our opinion.
What can be warning is that media influence people a lot and they have
an impression that what is said there must be absolutely true.
There are and there will be still many unsatisfied and problematic people.
I am waiting for that time when I am able to leave my car open and when
I am back it is still there.
In the international area I hope that the diplomatic contacts help us to live in peace without conflicts and it comes to exchange of new knowledge in research among each country. I hope that if there will be a disaster or another problem in our republic, the remaining states of the EU will give us a helping hand. We know from history that it was not always so and they did not keep the word.
But we cannot still look back, we have to concentrate our efforts to the future. My generation will see what has changed from our parents lives, what remains the same and what will change.