Jan Palach
Hi Everyone,
Have you ever heard of Jan Palach? Yesterday was the 42nd anniversary of the day Jan Palach immolated himself in protest of the Soviet invasion and occupation of then Czechoslovakia. I first became acquainted with Palach’s story after moving to the Czech Republic. Jiří told me about Palach and I was at once horrified and amazed. Jan Palach was a young student at Charles University back in 1968. At that time, Czechs and Slovaks were united in one country, Czechoslovakia, and were enjoying a time known as The Prague Spring.
The Prague Spring is a mark in history when the communists of Czechoslovakia began loosening their stranglehold on the country. Czechs and Slovaks were enjoying a time of revival and liberalization and reform. It was a time of hope and light brought about by changes initiated by then General Secretary of the Communist Party Dubček. This liberalization came in the form of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, while also ushering in a better economic plan to help revive the country’s spirit.
The Prague Spring lasted only a few short months before August 1968 when the Soviets, at the head of a Warsaw Pact army, invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia. Dubček asked Czechs and Slovaks not to protest in order to avoid a bloody invasion. Even so, Czechs did protest in silent ways—by pointing sign posts in the wrong directions to confuse invading troops, or completely painted over sign posts, and many small villages renamed themselves so as to add even more confusion. Even so, the invading army was able to find its way to Prague and clamp down on the Czechs and Slovaks. There are many pictures of the Soviets and Warsaw Pact troops marching into Prague. One iconic picture shows a young man standing in front of a tank trying stop the troops. I can’t even begin to imagine how Czechs felt in that time. I’ve never seen a tank invading my city or troops invading my home.
Invasion of Prague 1968
During the occupation many Czechs and Slovaks were demoralized, and yet the desire for democracy and liberalization still burned. People fought against the occupation with riots, protests and limited acts of violence. But after a time, the Czechs and Slovaks were brought under subjection and The Prague Spring was ended.
One young man, Jan Palach, was very unhappy at the apparent apathy shown by Czechs and Slovaks in that time. He decided it was necessary to rouse people from their complacency with a horrific act. Palach decided to make a sacrifice of his own life in order to raise public outcry against the Soviet occupation. On January 16, 1969, Palach stood on Václavské Náměstí (Wenceslas Square), in front of the National Museum and doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire. Bystanders watched in horror as Palach ran across the square burning as a human torch. Palach was saved when a bystander threw him to the ground and smothered the flames with his coat, but it was too late. Palach suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body, and lived another three days in agony before he died on January 19, 1969. Palach was part of a group of young students who had committed to self-immolation as a form of protest to rile the Czech and Slovak people to protest against the occupation. Most of the rest of this suicide group did not follow the fiery death of Palach. From his hospital bed Palach had pleaded with the this suicide group not to go forward with this type of protest.
Jan Palach's death mask.
Palach’s funeral became a day of national protest for Czechs and Slovaks. Thousands of people attended his funeral. Soviet leaders were afraid Palach’s grave might become a national shrine, and exhumed his body, cremated it and reburied him in his home village. For a time Palach’s death did stir up the people, but eventually a period of “normalization” managed to take hold, and no significant protest took place, until 1989 brought the twentieth anniversary of Palach’s death and the Velvet Revolution. Students at the protests and riots in 1989 were moved and inspired by Palach’s sacrifice. They were emboldened, by his example, to move on with further protest which finally brought all Czechs and Slovaks into the protest against Soviets, and the subsequent overthrow of their occupation of Czechoslovakia.
Memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajic
Today, there is some controversy over whether Jan Palach accomplished much with his sacrifice. Some say yes, he did, while others believe he could have done more if he had gone on living. It is difficult to judge Palach’s actions, but we should consider the situation, and ponder what would we do in the same situation. Would we be inspired enough to such an act as Palach’s to save our own country? This is not a simple question, but one that takes deep thought and consideration. Palach is remembered here every year, and many people place flowers on Palach’s memorial on Václavské Náměstí—the spot where he set himself on fire.
I am moved by Palach’s story, and personally believe he did accomplish some good with his terrible sacrifice. I do not advocate suicide missions or terrorism of any kind. What Palach did was not terrorism--his death was not meant to hurt anyone but himself. He committed this act to “wake up” his fellow countrymen. And he didn’t hurt or kill any innocents. This is a heroic act, though still terrible and hard to imagine. A young man, in the prime of life, took his own life so that others might be moved to throw off the chains of Soviet rule and once again experience freedom and revival.
I am not advocating this type of protest by writing this post. The purpose of this post was to relate to this story to readers (who live outside of the Czech Republic) and who may have never heard of Jan Palach.
I believe in the sanctity of all Life, and believe we should not take our own lives or that of another. The situation of Czechoslovakia during the invasion and occupation was a time of great hardship for the country, and young people felt the need for some type of protest. Thus did it come about that Jan Palach decided to give his own life for this purpose. He endured an agonizing three days of unbearable pain and suffering before he died, and during the last days of his life pleaded with the others not to protest in this manner.
That's all for today.
God bless,
(c) 2011 by Sher Vacik, all rights reserved.
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