Prague as a Cold War City and its Global Entanglements

The international workshop Prague as a Cold War City and its Global Entanglements, organised by the Institute of History of the CAS and the Institute of Contemporary History of the CAS, will take place on 23 and 24 September 2025 in Prague. 

Programme

During the Cold War, the capital of Czechoslovakia, this "bridge between the East and the West", was not merely a passive recipient of geopolitical shifts stemming from the superpower rivalry that emerged after 1945. Rather, this metropolis underwent multidimensional transformations while actively engaging in these changes and asserting its own agency in shaping Cold War dynamics. Needless to say, Prague's efforts to advance its own agenda had a lasting impact on European (and global) developments, not only between 1946 and 1989 but also in the post-Cold War era.

This workshop seeks to analyze and contextualize Prague as a Cold War city, examining its global interactions and transnational connections. Did Prague serve as an intermediary between the East, West, and Global South, and to what extent was it influenced by its global Cold War entanglements? How were the city's transnational dimensions shaped by the socio-political transformations following 1989, and what role did these factors play in the Velvet Revolution? These and other questions will be explored during the workshop, which will conclude with a panel discussion focusing on the topic of post-WWII Prague.

By comparing domestic and international perspectives and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, this workshop aims to offer deeper insights into Prague's historical trajectory. Such an approach should not only enhance our understanding of the city's past but also shed light on contemporary challenges facing Prague, the Czech Republic, and European society as a whole.

Organizational Team: PhDr. Maroš Timko, Ph.D.; Mgr. Mikuláš Pešta, Ph.D.