| Abstrakt: |
Czechoslovak-Soviet friendship was lent an additionally militaristic tinge as increasing numbers of Soviet citizens were, during the Khrushchev years, invited to share their memories of liberating Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II in magazine articles and pen-pal exchanges (105). Indeed, the bid to foster multiple, interpersonal links between the citizens of the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia was ultimately so successful that it rendered blatantly obvious to the Czechoslovak and Soviet citizens involved that the inequalities within the Eastern Bloc were never overcome over forty years of socialism. Applebaum thus insists on the importance of foreign policy's unintended consequences away from the diplomatic negotiating table and portrays Soviet and Czechoslovak citizens as crucial stakeholders in such policies. [Extracted from the article] |
