Volný čas v českých zemích 1957 - 1967 – Franc Martin (2013)

Post-war reductions in working hours and the increase in leisure time were phenomena that significantly influenced the development of lifestyle in the 1950s and 1960s. According to contemporary ideological concepts, leisure time was primarily to be filled with expressions of social engagement, self-education, and physical activity; however, the reality looked different, and in the ways of spending leisure time, especially the younger generation of Czechoslovak citizens in the 1960s increasingly approached their peers elsewhere in Europe. The presented manuscript examines the social contexts of the gradual increase in leisure time and the impacts of changes associated with new ways of spending leisure time on the functioning of Czech society in the second half of the 1950s and in the 1960s, including contemporary expert discussions on this topic. It also reflects the transformations of the entire society at that time, particularly the transformation of societal mentality and its new relationship with consumerism. At the same time, it seeks to answer some questions regarding the effectiveness and impact of the ruling power's efforts to actively influence life in the private sphere of citizens, primarily in the area of leisure activities. Based on probes dedicated to individual forms of leisure activities (e.g....