1. Prague Spring
The vision of a post-Communist world was glimpsed in Prague in the spring of The crushing of the Prague Spring led to a period of pessimism and “normalization” (a return to repressive practices) that restricted social movements. The only successful effort to thwart normalization was the Polish trade union, Solidarity, which was trampled by the imposition of martial law in 1981.
The image is a photograph showing a demonstration in Helsinki against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968.

2. Magical Realism realism, historical novel nightmares, Kafka folk tales
economic development
illiterate communities
Magical realism draws on the realist tradition of the historical novel and the nightmarish worlds of writers like Kafka. Writers including Marquéz, Fuentes, Allende, and Rushdie combine realistic historical narration with fanciful folk tales. These works have the greatest impact in zones of uneven economic development, where educated writers have incorporated the folk wisdom of their rural, sometimes illiterate communities.
The image is a painting in the magical realism genre, titled Stilleben II (Still Life II) (1922) painted by Alexander Kanoldt.

3. The World, 1986
Following the Second World War, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as world superpowers. Communist influence, as represented in this map, became the primary perceived enemy for those in the West. The ideological contest, real or imagined, between these two superpowers became the overarching theme that shaped art, politics, and culture for most of the second half of the twentieth century, from the end of the Second World War until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

4. Test Your Knowledge
The year 1968 saw rebellions and revolution in which of the following?
a. Prague b. Paris c. Mexico City d. all of the above
Answer: D
Section: Contemporary World Literature
Feedback: 1968 was a year in which uprising occurred around the globe, including the cities of Prague, Paris, and Mexico City. These rebellions marked the continuing efforts of those who were fighting for rights and freedoms.