Liberation Day Parade 1956

On May 8th every year, Europe celebrates the end of the greatest armed conflict in human history - the Second World War. In communist Czechoslovakia as well as in the entire former Eastern Bloc, this occasion was celebrated one day later. Grand military parades held on May 9th in Prague honored not only the end of the war and the liberation by a mostly Soviet army. It was also a perfect opportunity to remind Czechoslovaks to which side of the Iron Curtain they pledged allegiance. Let’s us peek into the forthcoming book ’Czechoslovakia: Behind the Iron Curtain’ and transport ourselves back to May 1945 as it unfolded in the heart of Europe: ’Once the euphoria of post-war celebration faded, a grim new reality set in. Surrounded by ruins, stricken with poverty, grieving for the loss of their homes and loved ones, dead bodies, tanks and abandoned artillery, the Czechoslovaks were recovering from the shock of what had just happened to them. Few appreciated the consequences of being indebted to their Soviet liberators.’ More in Czechoslovakia: Behind the Iron Curtain