This thesis deals with the manipulation of history in the historical film trilogy Dny zrady, Sokolovo and Osvobození Prahy, directed by Otakar Vávra. This thesis tries to define, on the basis of a comparation of historiographical works of the communist and modern historiography, the amount of historical distortion presented in these films. The normalization regime endeavoured to revise the historical knowledge of the second half of the 60s and to resume the tendencies of the communist regime of the late 40s and 50s and attempted to create a myth of perception of mordern national history, in which the positive influence of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in the 30s and 40s was emphasized. Moreover, this myth of the perception of history aimed to discredite figures that were unwanted by the regime and to emphasize friendship with the Soviet Union. Films and tv-series were an appropriate tool to form the perception of history among the people.

La thèse étudie les relations entre science et politique, à partir de la production historiographique consacrée à l’histoire des passés dits totalitaires (nazi et communiste) en Pologne. Cette histoire du temps présent est étudiée depuis sa genèse, durant la période communiste (1945-1989), jusqu’à la période post-communiste, après 1989. Elle fait l’objet de luttes entre acteurs, savants et profanes, dont les prises de position antagonistes s’expliquent par les positions différenciées qu’ils occupent dans l’espace du débat historiographique. L’autonomie de cet espace est limitée par une contrainte politique externe, exercée par le pouvoir politique, mais aussi par les logiques, internes à cet espace, de réponse à la contrainte externe. La thèse invite à relativiser la pertinence, en matière de production historiographique, de la césure de 1989, et souligne les formes de continuité entre la République populaire de Pologne et la situation présente. / Based on a study of the historiographical literature about the “totalitarian” pasts (nazi and communist) of Poland, this dissertation deals with the relationship between science and politics. The making of the history of these periods is studied from its genesis during the communist era (1945-1989) until the post-communist period started after 1989. Academic and non-academic actors are involved in the historiographical debate. Their stances can be explained by the various positions they occupy in the social space of this debate. The autonomy of this social space is not only limited by an external political constraint, applied by the political power, but also by this space’s internal logic elaborated in response to this outside pressure. The dissertation casts doubt the 1989 caesura in the historiographical literature, and underlines continuities between the Popular Republic of Poland and the current situation.