A History of the Czechoslovak Ocean Shipping Company, 1948–1989 by Lenka Krátká

Author:Lenka Krátká [Krátká, Lenka]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Russia & the Former Soviet Union, Modern, 21st Century
ISBN: 9783838267166
Google: gACGCwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2014-08-01T03:12:45+00:00

8.3.1 Emigration

To introduce the theme, I will offer some basic "hard" data on seafarers' emigration. Although the COS archive file does not provide a comprehensive list of emigrants, there is data on emigration in the years 1968–1969. Apart from 1948, these years are considered the most critical in terms of emigration from socialist Czechoslovakia. Emigration came as a response to disillusionment, disappointment, and maybe a fear of the future after the Warsaw Pact invasion and the subsequent "normalization", which signalled a retreat from basically all the principles and ideas of the democratizing process of 1968. In the first month after the August invasion, 24 seafarers emigrated (more than half of them with their wives and children); three other men emigrated until the end of 1969.[460] These 27 COS employees represented about two per cent of the overall ship headcount in 1969.

Even though 27 seems to be a small number, it looks different when compared with the total emigration in Czechoslovakia. In the period 1968–1969 137,600 people emigrated, i.e. about one per cent of the population. Since 1970 the strict measures led to a decrease in emigration, so between 1970 and 1989 it is estimated that some 50,000 people emigrated).[461] Maybe these figures are influenced by the fact that for seafarers it was relatively easy to travel and emigrate, even with their whole families. Other important explanations include the slower "normalization" process in the COS, perhaps a greater desire for freedom, or fear of sanctions by the "normalizing" regime as a response to the events of 1968 on the ships. (I discussed this issue in more depth in the part dedicated to the year 1968 and in the chapter on the 1970s.)

Since I interviewed only men who did not emigrate, the following opinions and experiences are one-sided, witnessed by men who remained on ships and stayed in Czechoslovakia. Explaining their decision not to emigrate, these men mentioned similar reasons and rationalizing strategies as the majority of the population.[462]

This wasn't even possible. I had two more brothers, they all studied well, they were all well employed. My father was a teacher; he would have ended up in a sugar factory as a bag counter. You know, this would be impossible. If I had escaped, I would have devastated so many people. If I had been alone, it would have been a different story.[463]

I considered that, of course, but I thought that if I emigrated, loads of people would be in a big shit. What was I missing? I wasn't missing anything, actually. I brought what I wanted, I always had a lot of money, I never lived in grinding poverty. And as a captain, I also had nice dollars, I had the least reason to do it.[464]

However, the seafarers often emphasized that they "could have stayed abroad"—thus implicitly drawing attention to their professional qualities, abilities and skills that would enable them to be employed anywhere abroad, including capitalist countries with a competitive labour market. The second narrator quoted above mentioned also some

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