Contacts of countrymen from FRG and Austria with Czechoslovakia (1947 - 1967)

This master's thesis is aimed at the communication of Czechoslovak countrymen living in the Federal Republic of Germany (former West Germany) and Austria with Czechoslovakia during 1947 - 1967. The aim of the thesis is to find out how they've remained in contact with their homeland during the communist regime. The research is based on the study of the archival materials resulting from the activities of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, the institution which has been concerned with life of our countrymen until now. This thesis mainly analyses the contents and structure of the countrymen's correspondence with the institution as well as it describes the character and duration of the countrymen's visits to the homeland. The final part of the thesis is dedicated to analysing various forms and realizations of Czechoslovak former regime's ideological influence on the countrymen enforced by the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute as well as other institutions, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since none of the communication of Czechoslovak offices with the emigrants was free of ideological propaganda. For countrymen had contact with homeland, whether in the form of correspondence or personal visits a great importance. Key words: countrymen, FRD (West Germany), Austria, Czechoslovak Foreign Institute,..