Week 1: Show & Tell #1 - Josef Koudelka’s Invasion 68 Prague

Josef Koudelka | Invasion 68: Prague Prague, Czechoslovakia. August, 1968. © Josef Koudelka | Magnum Photos

By Nathan Bieneman

August 20, 1968. The Soviet Union supported by military forces from several Eastern Bloc countries invaded the city of Prague, quelling a growing liberal reform movement and tightening Soviet control over the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.

Josef Koudelka, a Czech-French photographer, was present for the events that would later be referred to as the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia. The collection of his images, published in a book years later called Invasion 68: Prague.

When I encountered this book in the college library, I was immediately impressed by the raw emotive strength of the images. The pictures are accompanied by rich text, primary sources which provide specific factual detail as to what happened during the brief conflict.

It’s important to note that in this case Koudelka’s images are those produced by an insider looking out. As a Czech himself, he must have felt many of the same feelings as we see reflected in the faces of his countrymen.

From Wikipedia:

“ Koudelka's pictures of the [1968 invasion] became dramatic international symbols, and came to be "recognised as one of the most powerful photojournalistic essays of the 20th century".[4] In 1969 the "anonymous Czech photographer" was awarded the Overseas Press Club's Robert Capa Gold Medal for photographs requiring exceptional courage. Many of his photographs of these events were not seen until decades later.[4]”