Back in time

One thing my grandma always told to be thankful for what I have, cause back when she was born the second world war was still going on. My grandma was born in 1944 one year before the war ended. She told me that she and her family had to hide in a air raid shelter cause our hometown was bombed.

She also says that back then there wasn't that much food as there is now. My grandmother still had enough food, but she says that her own grandmother hadn't had that much to eat. Also food was really valuable.

The money back then was also different before the euro came there was a currency called Schilling. One Schilling are seven cent. While one euro are fourteen Schilling. Back then everything was a little bit low priced and people also didn't earn that much as today.

Livia

About the past

I let my grandpa (born in 1947) tell the story and that's what came out…

The lifestyle was beautiful. You paid much more attention to things because you didn't have that much. everyday life was frugal and on good days he even got a sandwich to take to school, the way to school often takes up to two hours as there is still no good public transport system. His childhood was beautiful and carefree, but it was normal to work at a young age. My grandfather was sent to a local farmer when he was 12. He usually got good food for work, which was very rare. He would almost say he was better off then than now.

Vanessa

Old times in Austria: appreciate little things

People didn´t have mobile phones and computers. They went to the next phone booth and called their friends and family. Thy appreciated all the little things, because they didn't have all the gadgets we have today. Everyone could go to school and do their school graduation. My parents had to go to school on Saturday and on Sunday they had the only free day in the week. I think that was really hard. You were in school till lunch and on Sunday you had to learn for Monday. Today it`s much better with two days of free time.

Mariella

Travelling

My family is from Germany but from the eastern part, the GDR. My grandma told me that she only travelled to 4 different countries before "the turning point". The countries were Hungary, Serbia, the former soviet union and the present Czech Republic. People in the GDR only could travel to the east. After "the turning point" my grandparents travelled a lot. They were in America, Norway, Austria, France, England and different islands. It was a great difference because for them everything was new territory. Everything was impressive and there was so much more diversity than in the east. There were other things to buy and my grandmother said it wasn't so "overgrown".

Isabelle

3rd March 1976 Massacre

One of the most transcendent historical events was the misfortune that occurred on 3rd March 1976 in Vitoria Gasteiz. The Spanish Armed Police Corps used tear gas to force the workers on strike out of the Church of San Francisco de Asís in the Basque capital of Vitoria. As the workers left the church, they were shot by the police, resulting in 5 dead and 150 injured with gunshot wounds. It was such a massacre! This happened in the neighbourhood where our school is.

The Basque flag

5th December 1976, was the date when the first appearance of the Basque flag, which is called “Ikurrina”, happened. During the football match between the Athletic Club and the Real Sociedad in Anoeta, captains of both teams entered the field with what is the actual flag of the Basque Country, in front of 25,000 viewers, at a time when the flag was banned.

The cinema

As we can see the cinema has changed a lot over the years. We searched for information about the cinema in 1975, when our grandparents were teenagers. We talked to them and they told us a lot of interesting things. The first interesting thing is that in their free time, they went to the church to watch movies because it was the best activity to do when they were young. Our grandparents were born before the death of Franco, which means that there were a lot of prohibitions. For example, Basque language couldn't be spoken. As a result, there weren't any films in our language.

Music and fashion

Between 1975 and 1985, people could know the musical taste of each person and their political ideal only by seeing what they were wearing. Society was widely divided into social classes, and they were distinguished by the clothes they wore. After Franco's death, there was much more freedom for everything.

The Basque Radical Rock appeared in the 80s. Different styles were introduced, such as punk, rock, ska and reggae. In addition, fashion influenced the music of the time. People started wearing leather, lots of spikes and spiked and colourful hair.

Did you know...?

.. that Both Paco Rabanne and Balenciaga fashion designers were born in the Basque Country?

Prague Spring 1968 and Velvet Revolution 1989

In 1948, the Communist Party began to rule in Czechoslovakia. There was no freedom, people were punished and life was hard with lack of goods. Gradually, people wanted reforms to make life easier. They started in the spring of 1968, with their leader Alexander Dubček, who was offering "socialism with a human face" with freedomof speech and press. The Soviet Union didn't like the changes. So, with the Warsaw Pact troops on August 21 began occupation of Czechoslovakia. People died and were persecuted in the later years. The Soviet army remained in Czechoslovakia for 23 years until 1991, they left thanks to the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The revolution is called velvet for its nonviolent character. There just wasn't any need to use weapons. It is a period of revolutionary changes in the country between 17 November and 29 December 1989, which led to fall of the communist regime.

Our school

Our school opened its door for the first time on October 1, 1919 and had only 2 classes. Now we have 12 classes. Previously, it only served for training of merchant youths, later it focused on business administration. The main field of study was founded in 1937 and was called business academy. Bad times came with the Nazi occupation (1939-45). Several of our teachers, includint the principal, were killed during World War II. Classes were suspended, then the building was used as a lazaret and temporary placement of German soldiers. After the was it served to the Red Army as well. Later, in 1954 there were 23 fields of study at the four-year school of economics. The latest branch of study, economical lycée, was opened in 2007 and offers more general education. The aim of the school was and is to educate theoretically well-prepared administration staff for practice.

Travelling

In the second half of 20th century until 1989 Czech people usually traveled by car or bus for the purpose of recovery or for a holiday. They often traveled to Bulgaria, Yugoslavia or Hungary where is the biggest lake in central Europe, Balaton. A large amount of people just went around Czechoslovakia. To Pravcice Gate or Lipno Lake wich is called "sweet sea" because tourists went there for sunbathing or swimming like they would go for a holiday in Italy. But it wasn't easy to travel abroad. In February 1948 it was prohibited to travel beyond the borders west of Czechoslovakia. The Iron Curtain was create so if you wanted to travel further than the borders you couldn't leave with just a passport, yo needed a special exit permission and not everyone could get it. Everywhere were border controls, military guards were checking if you had the traveling permission. At some places were even mine fields and electric wire. If you compare traveling in the 20th century and now, it's very different. Now all you need is a passport (and now vaccination confirmation because of covid). And if you have those, you can go anywhere you want to. Back then it was much more difficult.

Sport

A typical sports event for Czechoslovakia before 1989 were Spartakiads. They were synchronized exercises and are considered as a tradition of the Sokol (Falcon) sports events. In totalitarian Czechoslovakia Spartakiads were held from 1955 - 1985. On an area of 63,000 square metres (about 9 football fields), thousands of the same dressed exercisers performed in individual compositions. The Spartakiad formation consisted of square units, with 36 exercisers. The movement of individuals of groups created interesting patterns for the watchers. This was visually impressive. Spartakiad compositions were practised to the rhytm of music. everything was to be dome under the motto: In a healthy body, a healthy spirit!

The Foibe Massacres 10th February - Day of

Remembrance

The 'foibe' refers to mass killings of the local Italian population, mainly in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Istria and Dalmatia during and after World War II. Foibe are narrow Carsic pits or gorges into which victims were thrown, sometimes alive. The killings occurred in 1943 and again in the weeks before and after the end of the war in 1945.

The Giorno del Ricordo

established only in 2005 commemorates the victims of the ethnic cleansing as

well as the exodus of Italians who left their homes in Dalmatia and Istria in the years after 1943.

From 50s to 60s

In the 1960s, Italy completed its postwar transformation from a largely agrarian, relatively poor country into one of the most economically and socially advanced countries of the world.

Until 1964 (and in particular in the boom years of 1958–63) the country enjoyed an “economic miracle,” with industrial growth rates of more than 8 percent per year. Its most prominent industries, still in the northwestern industrial triangle, produced fashionable clothing (especially shoes), typewriters, refrigerators, washing machines, furniture, plastics, artificial fibres, sewing machines, inexpensive motor scooters (the Vespa and the Lambretta), and cars (from economical Fiats to luxury makes such as Maserati, Lamborghini, and Alfa Romeo).

The years of lead

The Years of Lead (Italian: Anni di Piombo) is a term used for a period of social and political turmoil in Italy that lasted from the late 1960s until the late 1980s, marked by a wave of both far-left and far-right incidents of political terrorism. The prime minister Aldo Moro was kidnapped by the terrorists of the Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse) and killed after after 54 days of imprisonment.

1982 The World Football Cup

Italy became world champions for the third time in 1982, their triumph on Spanish soil made memorable by the scoring feats of six-goal striker Paolo Rossi and an iconic celebration by Marco Tardelli. Enzo Bearzot's men won a 3 -1 victory over a rugged West Germany team in a Final in which Rossi's opening goal secured him the Golden Shoe to complete a personal redemption story even more dramatic than the Italians' revival after a faltering start.

Soviet occupation

After World War II, in 1945 Poland ended up in the Soviet occupation zone, even though they had technically ruled our terrains since they took control all around them in 1943. From the west, the “iron curtain” separated us. There was no information of what was happening in the west that could get in nor information from inside the country could go out. There was no democracy present. The prices were also rising. In 1980 meat prices rose, protests started. On 14th of August, strikes broke out in one of the shipyards in Gdańsk. The people who were striking wanted Anna Walentynowicz, an oppositionist in the People's Republic of Poland, co-founder of the Free Trade Unions and activist of the Solidarity Trade Union, to be put back in her position after she had been removed from it. Enterprises from all around the country joined the protests, with over 800 at the key point. The Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee, led by Lech Wałęsa, got established.

John Paul II

Another important event was when John Paul II became the pope. Pope John Paul II was born in 1920 in Wadowice, his real name is Karol Józef Wojtyla. He was orphaned at a very young age, and he had had a strong Christian faith since he was little. He became Pope on 16 October 1978, and he was the first non-Italian pope in almost 500 years, also the first one from a Slavic country! He was the pope for 26 years, so he was the third-longest serving pope after St Peter and Pope Pius IX.

Holidays and travelling

The first Polish Fiat 126p, commonly known as Maluch – ‘small Fiat” went off the production line in the FSM factory in Bielsko Biała on 6th June 1973. It was also nicknamed ‘Kaszlak”, meaning ‘the cougher’ because of the characteristic noise it was making when the engine was started. Due to the relatively low price and the fact it was so simple owners were able to fix the car themselves, it gained considerable popularity. However, it was not easy to buy this car in the communist times, one had to have not only money but also a voucher, and then be very lucky in a lottery. In our region, such lotteries were organized, for example, at coal mines for their workers. If you were lucky enough and won your dream car in the lottery, you could start packing and going on holiday. Yes, a four-person family travelled by the car to the seaside to spend a two-week holiday relaxing on the beach. The most imaginative ones even went to Bulgaria relying on their Maluch.

School

In the 1970s, you had to go to school from Monday to Saturday. There were no 1's or 6's in the grading system. These appeared in the 1990s. Russian was the obligatory part of the curriculum. Many historical facts were overlooked in the lessons, and teachers who did not adhere to the only and right propaganda left work with a wolf ticket. Religion was taught only in church rooms – religious education entered schools in the last decade of the 20th century.

Our parents also remember school appeals that were always characterized by singing a patriotic song.

Educational institutions of the past regime are primarily associated with cyclical fluoridation and a compulsory glass of milk for each student, especially on winter days.

Uniforms were compulsory (short for boys, longer for girls) in a navy blue or blue color. They were made of plain polyester, almost "plastic", with white collars detachable with buttons.

Olympic Games - Barcelona 1992

The Barcelona Games began on 25 July 1992 with a spectacular flame lighting the cauldron of the Olympic flame, and for many it was the best Games in history. Catalonia appeared to the world as an open and plural place, while Spain, in general, appeared as a modern country ready for anything. Making people forget all its past history. The celebration of this incredible event was very positive for Barcelona because it attracted the attention of many investors and new events for the city. New buildings such as the Olympic Village, parks, better telecommunication networks, new avenues were also built. Barcelona managed to gain a bigger place in the world and so did Spain.

Pablo

Spanish summers in the 80s

My grandma always tells me how she used to go to the swimming pool or to the river with her children. They took their food and made a big picnic, they carried beach chairs like that one in the photo and the common little fridge, and lots and lots of food. My mom has lots of beautiful memories of that age, she enjoyed going to the trip singing the song “Nos vamos de excursión” in Spanish and having such a good time with her siblings swimming, she told me that many people enjoyed their summers that way. The summers in Spain were enjoyed like this, but they also did a lot of other activities. Spain is a Mediterranean country, which means that summer was very hot here and that almost everyone loved it. Our families would go to the beach, enjoy their time with their friends and family. They would also sit in a table in the shade and play the spanish cards, which was a lot of fun. Ice cream was eaten almost every day as dessert, markets would be held on weekends mostly, families would read the daily news on printed newspapers, and everyone would enjoy their days.

Spanish model

She was born in Toledo in 1989 and moved to Barcelona at the age of 22 to fulfill her dream of being a model for the big fashion brands starting from the bottom. She started parading for not very prestigious brands but she was clear about her dream, to be a great model known worldwide. He earned his living from time to time doing parades for clothes not very well known in his town. Her dream was frustrated until the big day of October 12, 2012, Spain had won the European Championship and many families came to the bar where she worked, one of those families was the owner of a high-end clothing store. in the center of Barcelona, the owner of a recently created clothing brand saw her as she paraded with the tray and was stunned by her glamour, so she proposed to start working as a sales assistant in her store and if she accepted, the owner would take care of her She was one of the best models in Spain giving her parade classes, looking for and teaching her tricks

Diary of an anonymous soldier

July 7, 1937: I have been in a confrontation for two days in the north of Madrid. My group and I intend to release even a little the pressure that the Franco supporters are constantly exerting. It is always very hard to see battles, but it is sure to be considered one of the bloodiest July 12, 1937: I've lost count of the days I've been here, in this battle. I don't think I can get out of this. More than 10,000 people have already died. I have seen my best friend Juan die in front of me. He asked me as his last wish to take care of his wife and children. I will win this for you Juan…

July 25, 1937: It's finally over... This nightmare is finally over... I've lost a leg and I'm very tired. I'm exhausted I don't even know how I got the strength to write. Finally, it is estimated that about 20,000 of my companions have died in this battle. I won for you Juan…

Korean War and Turkey's Membership to NATO

The Korean War began with the North Korean attack on South Korea. Especially after the Second World War, while North Korea was under the influence of the Soviet Union, South Korea was under the influence of the United States. Over time, these two states became rivals to each other. This rivalry between the two states, which adopted different political styles, intensified. Later, it caused the war to begin.

Many different states have become parties to the war between North Korea and South Korea.

Turkey sided with South Korea as the minimum support by the United Nations in this war. Turkey participated in the Korean War as a member of the United Nations in order to become a member of NATO.

Popular Travel Destination

Pamukkale started to gain it’s popularity after 90s. It's still not only beautiful but also a natural wonder. Calcium solidified water tumbling down the sides annual and it makes it one of Turkey's top visited attractions. Every month thousands of people visit Pamukkale since and there are some hot air balloon trips to see the landscape from a different angle so due to it you have chance to see every side of it.

Turkey’s First Domestic Car ‘Anadol’

Turkey's first domestic car, Anadol, was produced in 1966 with the contributions of businessman Vehbi Koç. As a result of the survey advertisement given to the newspaper to search for a name for the vehicle, 150 thousand letters from four corners of Turkey and more than 2,000 name suggestions were received. Among these names, the most admired ones were Anadol, Anadolu and Koç. At the end of 4 separate meetings, "Anadol", which comes from the word Anatolia, was chosen as the name to crown the vehicle. On the other hand, the emblem of Anadol, which symbolizes one of the deer statues of the Hittites, is based on these lands, just like its name. In short, Anadol was a true folk boy.

Turkish Cinema 1931-60

During this period, Istanbul Sokaklarında, the first sound and Turkish-Egyptian-Greek co-production of Turkish Cinema, was shot. In addition, the first short films and period films were shot in this period. The most important development between the years 1931-1950 was the competition organized by the Turkish Cinema Society. In the competition, Şakir Sırmalı's film Unutulan Sır was chosen as the "best film". Scream, which was shot in 1949, was the first Turkish horror movie, and the 1953 movie Halıcı Kız was the first color Turkish movie to be shot.