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1948: May 1st celebration

” — Ninth exhibition of Šechtl & Voseček Museum of Photography.


Agfa Isopran 68 shots

May 1st celebrations, shortly after the communist putsch in February 1948. Edvard Beneš president of Czechoslovakia until his abdication at July 7th 1948 was probably surprised to see himself pictured next to Stalin and the future communist president of Czechoslovakia Klement Gottwald.

  1. President Edvard Beneš, Stalin and future president Klement Gottwald
  2. And now year 1948!
  3. With the Soviet Union to world peace, Club of Czech Soviet Friendship
  4. Hail to President Edvard Beneš, headed by Gottwald
  5. 30 million eggs per year
  6. We will fulfil the programme for our children
  7. 1947, 1948, two years of work, two steps to prosperity; forward, just continue
  8. Cooperation on dedicated creative creation of work force - purpose of our work and our life, Gottwald's institute
  9. People's democracy – here it was born and here we will keep its fruits

100.000

A hundred thousand of us came for May 1st, to the region under Kotnov, the land of the Blaník knights. A hundred thousand workers, farmers, craftsmen; a hundred thousand women, men, young boys and girls met in the huge stream of procession, whose purpose was given by the February victory of working people over home and foreign reactionaries.

A hundred thousand of us came, to a day of celebration of work, to give thanks to Gottwald’s government for national insurance, that insures everyone when he is old or sick; and to the government of National unity gave thanks for making the Hradec programme a law, that starts new life in our countryside, to express our happy agreement with more nationalization of industry, large scale business, import, export, that saves tens of billions that was taken away by capitalists.

A hundred thousand of us in the region under Kotnov and Blaník mountain came to thank Gottwald’s government, and the minister of education Prof. Zdeněk Nejedlý, for the law about unified schools, that allows everyone to be able to study. We came to thank our government for the new craftsman tax; for allowing new married couples to borrow money; and for everything it has made in this short time. We came to also express our agreement with the new constitution, that we have discussed, and we all know that it will ensure us not only all the advantages of our national and democratic revolution, but also allows us to go more to socialism.

A hundred thousand of us came to manifest for making 2 year plan till February 28th, and to follow the example of farmers from Chlumec and Skrýchov, who announced increases in their agricultural production.

A hundred thousand of us met in May processions, to tell our greeting to Soviet Union and to all Slavic and democratic countries, in a united way to greet all warriors for democratic rights, in countries where capitalism is still conquering.

A hundred thousand of us met, to manifest for peace against the sources of war.

A hundred thousand of us in the day of unified May the first met in the fifteen cities of the Tábor region, to express our agreement with unified candidate of National Unity, and to show remains of reaction our invincible power and passion, handle with everyone, who would somehow try to steal from us – workers, farmers, craftsmen and working intelligence – what we by our work, our determination and effort reached in all areas, economic and political.

A hundred thousand of us met in the Tábor region, to together with advanced powers of all the republic, started firmly in the forward direction, faster to socialism, to happiness, and to joyful life for us all.

— Palcát May 7th 1948