Abstract
One of the most apparent changes in society after the February 1948 coup was the abolishment of traditional civic associations. Their activities, emerging in the 1860's and later playing a crucial role in building Czech national awareness, survived even the Protectorate; however, the Communist regime perceived civic societies as a major threat.
Associations whose activities ""were not in accordance with the interests of the working class"" were forced to disband after 1948, and the new act on voluntary organisations and gatherings, passed in 1951, brought a definitive end to the existence of most of the remaining ones. The paper describes the demise of traditional social life among civic as- sociations, taking a specific town as an example, one with a rich history of cultural and sports events - Jičín, Eastern Bohemia.
It also describes selected uneven struggles between the local museum of ethnography's staff and the Communist officials over keeping civic associations alive.