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PARTISAN REVIEW
the protestor's civil freedom as well. Under a totalitarian regime, traditional
(and any kind of) democracy is powerless.
One can be penalized for not joining the organizations referred to, for
not demonstrating loyalty, for not disavowing one's convictions and one's
friends, for having a parent, a wife, or a husband who is regarded as an enemy
of the regime.
The degree ofmerit and guilt is scaled, and the rewards and punishments
are graded accordingly, the latter being more highly differentiated. A scien–
tific worker is rewarded with a higher post or scientific title, an artist is given
the opportunity
to
exhibit his work, a writer to publish his books, have his
plays performed, a composer
to
have his music played in concert halls or on
the radio. Aworks functionary may be given a free flat by the state (the hous–
ing shortage continues to be acute), a member of the Youth Union will have
the dream of all youth fulfilled-to go abroad for vacations. There is no need
to enumerate the privileges enjoyed by CP members; these are found in all
spheres of life. One can see that conditions which in most other countries are a
natural part of life are, in Czechoslovakia, rewards for political reliability.
And what about punishments for the unyielding? "Perpetuum si–
lentium" for writers, journalists, and artists. Obstacles at work, dismissal,
premature retirement for scientific workers. A travel ban, unemployment, or
menial, soul-destroying jobs for the unreliable intelligentsia. Imprisonment
for overzealous priests and for those who protest publicly. And worse still,
revenge is taken on the children of the intractable or insufficiently active.
The present regime has succeeded in creating a reliable system of control.
Modern society is usually described as atomized; it lacks the stability and
complexity of interrelations of former societies and, therefore, natural social
control. This deficiency is counteracted in Czechoslovakia by a specific inven–
tion: the cadre system. Dossiers are kept on every citizen from childhood. The
child's family background is noted, whether he takes part in voluntary com–
munity work, collects salvage, recites Russian poems at official celebrations,
offers his services as a guard of honor at memorials to the Red Army, joins the
Pioneer organization, the Socialist Youth Union; whether he comports
himself in a "politically conscious" way in his free time; whether he attends
church or religious insttuction, and so on.
These records accompany one from school to school, from employer
to
employer, or rather from cadre officer to cadre officer. The notes accumulate
and include the political profile of one's wife and comments on one's be–
havior in this or that political situation. These records are secret, one does not
know who has written what in them; one has no chance to defend oneselfor to
explain possible errors (and such errors can be fatal).
Suitability for a job is gauged on the basis of this cadre material, as is
(,
