Abstract
The Czechoslovak People's Army was one of the largest, best trained and best equipped armies of the former Eastern Bloc. In a possible military conflict its role consisted in forming strong borderline between East and West and in preventing enemy units from advancing.
The Czechoslovak ruling communist regime attributed crucial importance to the Army since it represented one of the most influential powers in the totalitarian society. In November 1989, after the fall of the communist regime, a lot of political and social changes occurred.
Inevitably, these changes also had a great impact on the formation of the Defense sector during the subsequent period, the so-called transformation. In his paper, the author briefly introduces fundamental changes in the organization, structure and doctrine of the Czechoslovak Army in the period 1989–1993.
Afterwards, using information from oral history interviews, he presents a closer reflection of the soldiers’ everyday life transformation as well as changes in their value orientation. All these topics will be discussed in the context of transition from the “Eastern” idea of People’s Army to the Western democratic concept of Armed Forces.