Under A Cruel Star By Heda Margolious Kovaly

In Under a Cruel Star, Heda Margolious Kovaly details the attractiveness and terror of Communism brought to Czechoslovakia following WWII. Kovaly’s accounts of how communism impacted Czechoslovakia are fascinating because they are accounts of a woman who was skeptical, but also seemed hopeful for communism’s success. Kovaly was not entirely pro-communism, nor was she entirely anti-communism during the Party’s takeover. By telling her accounts of being trapped in the Lodz Ghetto and the torture she faced in Auschwitz, Kovaly displays her terror experienced with a fascist regime and her need for change. Kovaly said that the people of Czechoslovakia welcomed communism because it provided them with the chance to make up for the passivity they had let occur during the German occupation. Communism’s appeal to

On page 56, Kovaly recited an excerpt from an informative communism pamphlet she had been reading. Kovaly stated that by reading pamphlets about communism and by overhearing her husband discuss politics, her interest in communism peaked. She then explained how Rudolph had friends over every evening to discuss party matters. She expressed that during one of these discussions, Rudolph’s friend said he still supported the idea of democracy. Kovaly expressed her sympathy towards believing in democracy, but realized that she felt guilty for having said sympathy. After having listened to the supporters of communism, she realized that the guilt she was feeling was actually her realization that democracy allowed for the rise of fascism. Kovaly believed democracy bred imperialism and that imperialism bred fascism. Kovaly believed that communism would prevent the rise of fascism because it defied imperialism. She believed that communism, like it promised, would make all men equal and prevent one man from reigning supreme over the