Contact
Museum of the Memory of the 20th Century, z.ú., Opletalova 929/22, 110 00 Prague 1
E-mail: michal.machacek@mpxx.cz
research focus
- political history of the 20th century
- Czech-Slovak relations
- Czechoslovak-Soviet relations
- the Czechoslovak communist movement and its political elites
- the personality of Gustáv Husák and Miloš Zeman
- history of Prague Zoo
professional curriculum
- from May 2024 Department of Historical Education of the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century, historian - professional editor (previously external cooperation)
- since 2018 freelance - self-employed (work for film productions, publishing houses, Czech Radio, Czech Television, Prague Zoo, Educational Institute of Central Bohemia etc.)
- 2014 history teacher at the Gymnasium U Libeňského zámku 1, Prague 8
- 2011-2017 Department of Czech History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Czech History - PhD studies (Ph.D.)
- 2010-2015 Department of Psychology and Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Arts, Charles University - teaching for secondary schools
- 2009-2011 Department of Czech History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Czech history - follow-up master's studies (Mgr.)
- 2006-2009 Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Bachelor's degree in history (Bc.)
- 2002-2006 Gymnasium U Libenského zámku 1, Prague 8 - Libeň
foreign experience
- ongoing archival research and lecture activities in Slovakia
- May-June and September-October 2019 research stay in Moscow (RGANI, RGASPI and Gorbachev Foundation)
- March 2018 lecturer at the exhibition on Charter 77 at the Moscow branch of the International Memorial (at the invitation of the Czech Centre in Moscow)
- 2017/2018 Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava (National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic)
- July 2017 lecturer in the interdisciplinary project Sonderforschungsbereich 1150 "Kulturen des Entscheidens" at the University of Münster, Germany (by invitation)
- 2014 Department of History of Southern and Western Slavs, Faculty of History, Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov (inter-university exchange)
- September - October 2013 research stay in the USA (Archives of Czechs and Slovaks Abroad in Chicago, Slovak Institute in Cleveland, Archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.)
- 2012/2013 Institute of History, Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava (Intra-Visegrad Scholarships)
- 2011 Department of Slovak History, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava (Erasmus)
- 2008 Camp Hoblitzelle (Texas, USA), working with children on summer holidays organized by the Salvation Army
BIBLIOGRAPHY
monographs
- Gustáv Husák, publisher. Vyšehrad, Prague 2017 (next edition 2019, 2023), 632s. 978-80-7429-388-7 (ISBN: 978-80-7601-181-6, ISBN: 978-80-7601-832-7).
editorial work
- Two centuries of nationalism. A Tribute to Prof. Jan Rychlík, Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague - Masaryk Institute and Archives of the CAS, v.v.i., 2014, 429 p. ISBN: 978-80-87782-35-4.
- In the Service of Czech-Slovak Understanding. Tribute to Vojta Čelko, Czechoslovak Documentation Centre in cooperation with the Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations of the University of Matej Bel and the SNP Museum, Prague - Banská Bystrica 2016 (together with Ivan Guba and Marek Syrný), 343 p. ISBN: 978-80-906181-0-7.
scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals
- Gustáv Husák during World War II. In: Slezsky sbornik, vol. 110, 2012, no. 3-4, pp. 239-270.
- "I threw myself into it with all my heart, with all my soul." Gustáv Husák in the game for Slovakia (1945-1948). In: Historie - Otázky - Problémy, vol. 4, 2012, no. 1, pp. 73-100. ISSN 1804-1132.
- Gustáv Husák's path to the communist movement. In: Český časopis historický, vol. 119, 2014, no. 2, pp. 227-260. ISSN: 0862-6111.
- Husák in Katyn? Myths and reality of one tour. In: Vojnová kronika, vol. 3, 2014, no. 2, pp. 38-42. ISSN 1338-6379.
- Gustáv Husák and power-political struggles in the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia on the example of the presidential question (1969-1975). In: Contemporary History, vol. 22, 2015, no. 3-4, pp. 299-348. ISSN 1210-7050; also English version in: Czech Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 4, 2016, pp. 104-128. ISSN: 2336-3142.
- Getting rid of the head of state : President Ludvík Svoboda in the normalization struggle for Prague Castle. In: Memory and History, vol. 15, 2021, no. 4, pp. 8-17.
professional studies in collective monographs and proceedings
- Between the Czech lion and the Soviet star. State-law ideas of Slovak communists during the Second World War. In: KMEŤ, Norbert - SYRNÝ, Marek et al. (eds.): Odvaľujem balvan. A tribute to the historical craft of Jozef Jablonický. Institute of Political Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences - Muzeum SNP, Bratislava - Banská Bystrica 2013, pp. 117-135. ISBN 978-80-89514-21-2.
- Gustáv Husák and the Slovak State Question until 1948. In: MICHÁLEK, Slavomír - LONDÁK, Miroslav et al. (eds.): Gustáv Husák. Power of politics - politician of power, VEDA publishing house of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava 2013, pp. 338-369. ISBN 978-80-224-1312-1.
- Gustáv Husák, Alexander Mach and the trip to Ukraine in September 1941. In: MACHÁČEK, Michal (ed.): Two Centuries of Nationalism. A Tribute to Prof. Jan Rychlík, Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague - Masaryk Institute and Archives of the CAS, v.v.i. 2014, pp. 236-247. 978-80-87782-35-4.
- Against the wind! Gustáv Husák's path to the communist movement and his early activist activities. In. ISBN 978-80-89335-76-3.
- Gustáv Husák's path to the leadership of the Communist Party of Slovakia and his role in the formation of the Slovak National Council. In. Politics - Army - Society, SNP Museum, Banská Bystrica 2015, pp. 145-155. ISBN 978-80-89514-33-5.
- "He has already divulged this interview in advance." State Security versus Vojtech Čelko. In: GUBA, Ivan - MACHÁČEK, Michal - SYRNÝ, Marek (eds.): In the Service of Czech-Slovak Understanding. Tribute to Vojt Čelko, Czechoslovak Documentation Centre in cooperation with the Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations of the University of Matej Bel and the SNP Museum, Prague - Banská Bystrica 2016, pp. 80-93. ISBN: 978-80-906181-0-7.
- Too stuffy a hug. Jozef Lettrich and the communists. In. ISBN 978-80-972561-5-9.
- Friends from Bratislava wine bars? Communists, the trial of Jozef Tis and the case of Alexander Mach. In: SYRNÝ, Marek et al.: Slovakia and Europe in 1947, Muzeum SNP, Banská Bystrica 2018, pp. 51-60. ISBN 978-80-89514-50-2.
- Between historiography and politics. Testimony of Gustáv Husák's SNP. In: SYRNÝ, Marek (ed.): Slovak National Uprising - between past and legacy for today, Muzeum SNP, Banská Bystrica 2020, pp. 47-61. 978-80-89514-92-2.
- Gustáv Husák at the beginning of the so-called normalization (not only) in the light of Russian archives. In: Czech-Slovak Historical Yearbook 2019-2020, VEDA, Bratislava 2020, pp. 11-32. 978-80-224-1878-2.
- Personality in history: Gustáv Husák as an independent actor or a derivative of great history? In: FUJAK, Július - ŠTÚR, Martin (eds.): Interdisciplinary Dialogues (Proceedings of the eponymous international lecture series 2009-2020, Faculty of Arts, University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra 2022, pp. 273-292. ISBN: 978-80-558-1938-9.
popularization articles, slogans, news and other texts (selection)
- It was the third time that there were talks in Ostrava. Insights from the international conference on teaching contemporary history "Even silence is a lie". In: History - Questions - Problems, vol. 4, 2012, no. 1, pp. 144-146.
- A historian who "knew the light and no longer wanted the darkness". After Jozef Jablonický. In: History - Questions - Problems, vol. 4, 2012, no. 2, pp. 127-128.
- Slovak history is still waiting for its people. The youth of Gustav Husák. In: Dějiny a současnost', vol. 35, 2013, no. 1, pp. 30-33.
- For Soviet Slovakia! The story of a half-forgotten vision. In: Tvorba, vol. 23, 2013, no. 4, pp. 24-28.
- On the anniversary of Valentina Vladimirovna Marjina. In: Slovansky přehled, vol. 103, 2017, no. 2, pp. 509-514.
- Tribune of the Slovak Nation. Gustáv Husák in the Prague Spring. In: Historická revue, vol. 29, August 2018, no. 8, pp. 42-44.
- The birth of the normalizer. Gustáv Husák as a double player in 1968. In: Historická revue, vol. 29, August 2018, no. 8, pp. 45-48.
- Gustav Husák's state-law ideas. In: SCHELLE, Karel - TAUCHEN, Jaromír (eds.). Volume XVI. Aleš Čeněk - KEY Publishing s.r.o., Plzeň - Ostrava 2018, pp. 2267-2273.
- Gustáv Husák and Alojz Lorenc (biographical features). In: ZÍDEK, Petr (ed.): Lidé roku 1989. Winners and losers of the Velvet Revolution, Lidové noviny - Universum 2019, pp. 18-25 and pp. 90-97.
- In the service of the power ministries. Outline of a professional CV. In. Interview with the last head of the communist State Security, Brána 2019, pp. 3-11.
- Yelisei Tikhonovich Sinitsyn: Brezhnev's emissary who singled out Husak. In: Top Secret!, No. 6, 2020, pp. 134-141.
- Did Gorbachev want a miller as president? In: We, vol. 3, November 2020, pp. 14-17.
- Series of articles Moscow archives speak for Parlamentní listy, August - October 2020 (online).
- Who instead of Dubček? Gustav Husák through the eyes of Moscow. In: Historická revue, vol. 32, no. 11, 2021, pp. 18-21.
- Dubček through the eyes of Moscow : Our Sasha a puppet in the hands of the right. In: Historical Review, vol. 32, no. 11, 2021, pp. 14-17.
- These are the paradoxes... Miloš Jakeš in his personal memoirs and as a participant in the communist movement, even the Third Resistance? In: 100 years of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Proceedings, Institute of the Czech Left, z. ú. 2021, pp. 77-81.
- Gustáv Husák in the whirlwind. In: Křesťanská revue, vol. 90, no. 2, 2023, pp. 20-24.
- The historian who fought with Husák: On the occasion of the ninetieth birthday of Jozef Jablonický. In: Vojnová kronika, vol. 12, 2023, no. 1, pp. 52-55.
- "You will only get rid of it when you die". Gustáv Husák sick healthy. In: Lékarské noviny, January-February 2023, pp. 12-13.
Articles for Právo and Lidove noviny, Válka REVUE and others.
bibliography - interviews
- Bibliography of prof. PhDr. Jan Rychlík, DrSc. MACHÁČEK, Michal (ed.): Two Centuries of Nationalism. A Tribute to Prof. Jan Rychlík. FF Charles University in Prague - Masaryk Institute and Archives of the CAS, v.v.i. 2014, pp. 93-162 (together with Václava Horčáková). ISBN: 978-80-87782-35-4.
- I also have to leave something to the younger forces. Interview with Jan Rychlík. In: mua.cas.cz. Zpravodaj Masaryk Institute and Archive of the CAS, v.v.i. 2014, Prague 2015, pp. 23-25. ISBN: 978-80-87782-41-5.
- Bibliography of PhDr. Vojtech Čelko. In: GUBA, Ivan - MACHÁČEK, Michal - SYRNÝ, Marek (eds.): In the Service of Czech-Slovak Understanding. Tribute to Vojta Čelka, Czechoslovak Documentation Centre in cooperation with the Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations of the University of Matej Bel and the SNP Museum, Prague - Banská Bystrica 2016, pp. 272-292. 978-80-906181-0-7.
- "I was brought up in a carriage and a wagon": an interview with Vojtech Čelko about life, Czech-Slovak relations and car rental. In: GUBA, Ivan - MACHÁČEK, Michal - SYRNÝ, Marek (eds.): In the Service of Czech-Slovak Understanding. Tribute to Vojta Čelko, Czechoslovak Documentation Centre in cooperation with the Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations of the University of Matej Bel and the SNP Museum, Prague - Banská Bystrica 2016, pp. 60-79 (together with Miroslav Michela). ISBN: 978-80-906181-0-7.
- I chose Czechoslovakia. An interview with historian Valentina Vladimirovna Maryina about life, history and Czech-Slovak-Russian relations. In: Slovansky přehled, vol. 103, 2017, no. 2, pp. 395-416.
- Let the 90 speak for me! (interview with zoologist Jiří Volf). In. TAMTAMY : About animals and people from Prague Zoo, 2020, no. 1-2, pp. 18-21.
peer-reviewed publications
- ANEV, Petr - BÍLÝ, Matěj (eds.): Biographical Dictionary of Leading Communist Party Functionaries (1921-1989), 2 volumes, Academia - Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, Prague 2018, 731s. 978-80-200-2960-7.
- RYCHLÍK, Jan: Czechoslovakia in the period of socialism 1945-1989, Vyšehrad, Prague 2020, 424s. 978-80-7601-334-6.
- GROMAN, Martin: Kriegel : Soldier and Doctor of Communism. Paseka - Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, Prague 2023, 575s. 978-80-7637-379-2, ISBN: 978-80-7516-023-2.
- SUCHAN, Václav - CHYTIL, Michal: Stalin : Red Monster, Czech News Center a.s., Prague 2023, 130s. 978-80-88406-52-5.
exhibitions and installations, exhibition catalogues
- 2017-2018 cooperation on the Czech-Slovak / Slovak-Czech exhibition on the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia, National Museum of the Czech Republic
- author of the panel exhibition Students for Freedom for the Faculty of Music and Dance of the Academy of Performing Arts (17 November - 17 December 2018)
- co-author of the panel and internet exhibition of the Museum of 20th Century Memory, Red Century. A Century of the History of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (14 May 2021 - 1 August 2021). BLAŽEK, Petr - KALOUS, Jan (eds.), Museum of Memory of the XXth Century, Museum Kampa - Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation. 978-80-907989-1-5, ISBN: 978-80-87944-61-3.
radio production
- Yelisei Sinitsyn : Brezhnev's secret emissary and his liaison with Husak. In: programme Archiv Plus of Czech Radio 2, premiere 11.10.2018 (together with David Hertl).
- Gustáv Husák's journey from reformer to normaliser. In: programme Archiv Plus of Czech Radio 2, premiere 12 October 2018 (together with David Hertl).
- Leonid Brezhnev as a Soviet leader and a prominent figure of the communist era. In: programme Leonardo Plus Czech Radio Plus, premiere 29 July 2018 (together with David Šťáhlavský).
- And we're done (docudrama about the political end of G. Husák and the one-party government). In: Czech Radio 1 Radiožurnál, premiere 17 November 2019 (together with Kateřina Rathouska).
- November 1989 through the eyes of the editor-in-chief of Red Law. In: programme Portraits of Czech Radio Plus, premiere 4 November 2021 (together with David Hertl).
expert consultant in film production
- 2013-2016 First
- 2018 Red presidents
- 2018 1968mm
- 2018 Hello, Republic!/Hello, Republic!
- 2019 Epoch between August and November
- 2020 My father Antonín Kratochvíl
- 2018-2020 Stars
- 2021 Slovak pantheon
- 2022 StB: Top secret!
- 2022 Alexander Dubček : Anatomy of a leap into the void
- 2023 The man who stood in the way
- 2023 All men shall be brothers
other professional activities
- since 2019 cooperation on the History Competition for students of grammar schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
- since 2019 member of the committee of the Nonfiction Authors Club (organization of the Egon Erwin Kisch Literary Awards)
- from 2022 lecturing for the Academy of the Third Age of the Educational Institute of the Central Bohemia Region
Awards
- 2011 second place in the competition for the prize of the Minister of Defence for the work Gustáv Husák during World War II
- 2012 Edvard Beneš Prize 1st degree in the category of 20th century history for the diploma thesis Gustáv Husák in the case of Slovak bourgeois nationalism
- 2018, Award of the Czech-Slovak/Slovak-Czech Commission of Historians for the dissertation Gustáv Husák: Political Biography with Special Reference to Czech-Slovak Relations in the 20th Century
- 2018 Miroslav Ivanov Prize for Literature of Facts for authors up to 39 years of age for the book biography Gustáv Husák
- 2018 Josef Hlávka Prize for Scientific Literature, Social Sciences category for the book biography Gustáv Husák
- 2018 State Medal of Merit 1st Class for services to the state in the field of science and education
- 2019 Award of the Union of Czech Writers for the book biography Gustáv Husák
- 2022 Matej Hrebenda Award for significant contribution to fostering good relations between Czechs and Slovaks, awarded by the Municipality of Slovaks in the Czech Republic