History of Volunteering

The beginning of volunteering (as understood today) can be seen with the start of early capitalism or rather with the social changes that came together with that of the era. Although some associations and institutions that joined the citizens that voluntarily worked for local and national community and are linked to the activity of religious brotherhoods and orders were established in the Middle Ages, we cannot name this religiously motivated activity as volunteering in contemporary meaning. Volunteering as an activity performed outside work develops with the rise of bourgeois life of citizens and also as a reply to increasing number of people living in undignified conditions in the period of rapid industrialization. Not only voluntary firefighters but also philanthropic and educational activities of rural and urban intelligentsia can be considered as representatives of volunteering start in our area. A strong accent/emphasis on national elements was characteristic for that era. Many of these volunteering associations were created in order to uplift the national self-respect at that time (the Czech Kingdom was a part of the Austrian Monarchy and Czech nation fought for emancipation and equalization of Czech language).

Majority of these associations (like educational, museum, cultural, touristic and other organizations) were based on voluntary work, membership and contributions. It was considered an honor or patriotic duty to be part of some of these associations.

From the 19 century till the World War II association and philanthropic life was divided according to many parameters: nation and confession, cleric and secular, Czech and German. Associations were devoted to the same activities and sometimes they fought, for example Czech and German Tourist Associations in the mountain areas fought in building of outlook-towers. That's why there are so many of them in some parts of the CR.

The era between WWI and WWII is called The First Republic. In these years, the idea of Czech associations changed from anti-Austrian resistance to excitement of first republic creators. Many of the youth organizations-for example the YMCA-used the direct support from the President of the Republic T. G. Masaryk who found in them the tool for his philosophical ideas implementation and his effort to create a new self-assured the generation of the first Czech Republic.

The national emphasis happened to be fatal for some organizations during the German occupation. Some of them were abolished and some were transformed into the form that complied with German Nazi Protectorate administration.

After the WWII, the active association and citizen life was successfully restored. Youth, union, cultural and physical training associations happened to be the tool of political fights, again.

When the Communist party took over the power (1948), it meant the end of the effort to freely develop voluntary and interest-group organizations. The property of non-communistic associations was confiscated, some of them were dissolved straight away and some were transformed by force or newly created.

All aspects of voluntary activities were uniformed in organizations that were controlled by the communist party. Voluntary activities were used to creation of socialism through everywhere present ideology and were made "compulsory-voluntary". Every possibility of independent practice was stopped by the pressure. In other words we can say that volunteering obtained the label of something non-authentic, imposed, one needs to be avoided. This kind of taste still remains active in the sub consciousness of some Czech citizens till now.

The next generation born in socialist era did not show interest in their parents´ excitement and thus, under various official names and patronages, sometimes was able to hide real voluntary activity that was not in conflict with regime interests.

Only after the 1989, the democratic structure was fully restored and the massive development of independent associations from the area of ecology, human rights, humanitarian help, sport, social benefits, etc. appeared. Although the public is skeptical sometimes towards voluntary activity still, in the last twenty years we can trace positive tendencies that move the Czech volunteering towards European average also in this field.