Miesto histórie vo vývoji kultúrnych vzťahov medzi Československom a Talianskom v rokoch 1948 – 1989

Abstract

The topic of the article is the place of history in the development of cultural relations between Czechoslovakia and Italy between 1948 and 1989. Cultural relations are an inseparable part of bilateral relations between countries, and this is true in the case of the complicated relations between Czechoslovakia and Italy in the period from the rise of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1948 to its demise in 1989. History, in its various forms, also had an indispensable place in these relations. This was due to the general fact that the regime in Czechoslovakia used historical themes and adapted their content as part of its promotional action not only for its own population but also in international relations. It was also due to the specific features of the historical development of the two countries and a number of common features. This paper deals with the wide range of traces that the question of history has left in Czechoslovak-Italian relations. First, it concerns the question of historical scientific research carried out by Slovak and Czech scholars (historians or archivists) in Italy based on a cultural interstate agreement, an agreement between academies of sciences or outside the framework of agreements, and the formal and informal relations between professional historians of both countries. Another aspect examined is the place of historical themes in cultural, popularization and propaganda activities in the form of films, lectures, exhibitions, museums, celebrations.