The Making of a Socialist Night : Society, Imagination and Everyday Life in Czechoslovakia 1945-1960

Is there such a thing as a socialist night? And if so, what characterises it? What does it look like, what meanings are attached to it, who inhabits it, and what activities take place within it? In answering these questions, this book takes the reader on a journey through the mental world of post-war Czechoslovak society, the glamour and misery of Czechoslovak cities at night, and the lives and activities of various social groups for whom the night formed a natural environment. This is the first book to apply the insights of the field of night studies to the study of state socialism, uncovering often unexpected connections that emerge when the night is placed at the centre of analysis. At the same time, it raises the important question of what was actually “socialist” about the socialist night?