Europe 1920-50, Thankfully those thought control days are gone forever

Europe for several decades in the 20th century was a pretty nasty place.

Not only did thay have the most destructve war in history, but in many places you could be censored, excluded, cancelled, removed from the very organisations on which your livelihood, your income, even your life, depended on belongong to.  Not for doing anything - Just for having the 'wrong' beliefs, thoughts, ideas.

The Thought Control Police must have loved it across the mid-contnent, 1920s to 50s. Of course there are very very few people now who will remember anything of those days, and we are lucky to live in the much more tolerant and accepting 2020s, where such Totalitarianism' of the mind is a thing of the past.

For those of us who never saw those days, here below are a few snippets of what it was like. There are of course many many more. Be thankful, be very thankful, that such dark days of mind control and dictatorship are now gone.

28 May 1953, In Soviet Czechoslovakia, a law was passed introducing short term conscription of labour. Citizens were required to work ‘voluntarily’ for 12 days a year, at weekends or during holidays. ‘Volunteers’ who declined could be imprisoned.

14 November 1949, The Central Committee of the Polish Communist Party expelled three ex-leaders, including former First Secretary Władysław Gomułka, on charges of deviation from the Communist line. 11 November 1949, The Polish Worker’s Party was purged of members with pro-Tito views.

26 December 1948, In Hungary, the Protestant and Jewish communities accepted compensation payments for the government nationalisation of their religious schools. However the Hungarian Catholic Church, under the authority of Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty, refused to accept this measure. On this day Mindszenty was arrested, and on 8 February 1949 sentenced to life imprisonment.

19 July 1937, In Berlin, the Germans staged an exhibition, intended as mocking, of ‘degenerate art’; art condemned by the Nazis. 5 January 1937, Nazi Germany recommended its artists depict at least four children in illustrations of German families. 12 October 1935, Hitler banned American jazz from German radio, calling it decadent. Music of Jewish or Black origin was also banned.

10 March 1928, In the Soviet Union, show trials of ‘bourgeois’ engineers accused of sabotage began.

6 July 1922, 11 more people in Russia were condemned to death for interfering with the state confiscation of church property.