Generations of change or »birds in a cage«. 1968 and the problem of generations in Slovak civic dissent

Abstract

This article looks at aspects of the history of anti-Communist resistance in Slovakia from 1968 to 1989 to argue that people who experienced August 1968 as part of a specific generational cohort show similar patterns of behaviour in later life. The paper deals mostly with those who were pursuing higher education at the time (the »Post-War Generation«) and those who were in their teens (»Generation 52«), and the primary sources are accounts from dissidents themselves. Characteristically, Generation 52 formed a great part of the cultural underground in Slovakia. The article also depicts the generational conflict that emerged during and after the Velvet Revolution of 1989; the final section is dedicated to describing the current opinions held by members of these two generations towards Slovak politics.