and we asked him about the background to the book. JIRI PELIKAN, former director of Czechoslovak television, under Alexander Dubcek, is now a leading spokesman in the west for the Czechoslovak Socialist Opposition. He was in London last week to launch his new book, Socialist Opposition in Eastern Europe: the Czechoslovak Example (Allison and Busby, £2.95], slovakia?
different ways.
-munists to democrane tenacncics revolutionary situation.
build a new party?
nolitical nartv. • How big is the opposition in CzechoFrom one point of view the majority of the population represents a potential opposition. There is a silent majority and an active minority, who are fighting in The strongest and most effective current is the Socialist Opposition, which is not a united party, but is composed of different groups from left through reformist comBut there are also right tendencies in the sense of people who have doubts about socialism, and who base their ideology on religious or nationalist beliefs, and who would like to introduce in Czechoslovakia parliamentary democracy or even a rightist regime. The reason for their existence is the Soviet intervention in 1968, which was justified by the existence of counterrevolutionary forces, but which' has in fact created the conditions for a counterroland • Do you think that it is necessary to in Czechoslovakia?
A very burning problem. Until now the feeling has been that it was not necessary, and above all not possible to create a new to be blockade of ature and so on, and the need to elaborate an alternative programme of socialist democracy always put the question of some organisational structure on the agenda, because it is difficult to do all this WOrK On tIC DasIs oLsoontancous acLon • How do you see socialist democracy being won in Eastern Europe?
Only by pressure from inside, Workers, prosare he class of hich the present regime are most afraid. Then there is the progressive intelligentsia who reject elitism, and are able to express the aspirations of the population and to formulate a programme; and thirdly the younger generation which feels the contradiction between the ideal and the reality of Czechoslavak society and which is ready to risk confrontation.
If actions are carried out by all these forces together, then the opposition can be really effective, as recently shown in • Did the Polish events have a big impact Yes, the workers' strikes in Warsaw, Kadom and Ursus nave been tollowed with great interest. Despite the official news. Deople have heard mobilisation of the Czechoslovak army on the border.
In the past, the Soviet bureaucracy have played on national hatred between on nation and another in Eastern Europe. 1 mnk teres now a new reele o solidarity overcoming nationalistic bar riers. If the events had gone on longer in Poland, I think that there is no doubt tha we would have seen similar actions in zecnoslovata • It seems that Soviet dissidents particular have been very impressed b the Helsinki agreement on human rights. Yes, Soviet dissidents place great hope ir external pressure on the Soviet Union and this is an expression of the weaknes. of the opposition inside that country. We also think that the easing of internationa tension and outside pressure can be positive factor, but this can only be: favourable condition for making the figh inside the country easier Of course, the Helsinki agreement wa an attempt bv the two superpowers to fi the division of Europe into two zones and this is a negative thing. On the othe hand, the Soviet leading group wen oblieed to make certain concessions or
pickets Square strike.