Nov 05, 2008 | Le Rendezvous, NY

Since theSlovak history is interesting in that many important and pivotal events took place during years that end in the number eight, they have come to be known as the “eight years”. These crucial years include: 1848, 1918, 1938, 1948 and 1968. The year 1989 also belongs into this category because the historical turning point that was the November Velvet Revolution of 1989 actually began in 1988. There are important internal connections between the “8” years and their events. The Slovaks’ national emancipation process began with the uprising in the revolutionary year 1848 and culminated in 1918 with the founding of Czechoslovakia. This common state of Czechs and Slovaks was then exposed in 1938 to a challenging historical test. The historical ties between 1948, 1968 and 1989 are also strong. They mark the founding, crisis and fall of the communist system in the former Czechoslovakia. 

In terms of their meaning for history, the “eight”-year anniversaries that fall in 2008 are a natural reflection of both Slovak history in a broader context and of that history’s connections to the present. This was also the goal of the exhibition, The Magical Number Eight in the History of Slovakia, whose producers sought to improve mutual knowledge and understanding among nations.