Obraz pobělohorského náboženského vývoje, rekatolizace a exilu v učebnicích dějepisu od poloviny 20. století po současnost

Abstract

The paper deals with the transformation of Czech historians’ interpretation of the post- White Mountain period in history textbooks from the coup of February 1948 to the present. Textbooks are perceived as a specific medium that influences the formation of historical consciousness. The aim of this research is to follow changes in the interpretation of a crucial phase of Czech history, i.e. the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth century, in school teaching of history in the second half of the twentieth century and at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Moreover, it shows which narratives predominated in the school education of today’s 80- and 70-year-olds, middle-aged people, and the most recent generation that has just finished its compulsory education. The research gives evidence of the persistence of some aspects of the so-called myth of White Mountain in current textbooks, the adoption of a traditional national Protestant narrative, and delayed acceptance of recent research.