{{short description|Czechoslovak certificate of exemption from military service}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Politics of Czechoslovakia}} [[File:Modrá knížka 01.jpg|thumb|Czechoslovak blue booklet cover from 1992]]
The '''Blue booklet''' ({{langx|cs|Modrá knížka}}, officially '''''Průkaz o neschopnosti k vojenské činné službě''''' (Document of proof of incapacity for military service) or formerly '''''Průkaz o osvobození od vojenské povinnosti''''' (Document of proof of exemption from military service) was a certificate of exemption from military service in [[Czechoslovakia]] and later in the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]]. [[Conscription|Compulsory military service]] had existed throughout the unified nation's history and was only abolished in 2004 in the Czech Republic<ref>{{cite web|title=15 Years Later — Was Ending Military Service the Right Move for the Czech Republic? |url=https://english.radio.cz/15-years-later-was-ending-military-service-right-move-czech-republic-8116052 |website=english.radio.cz |date=8 November 2019 |access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref> and one year later in Slovakia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Compulsory Military Service Abolished |url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20026439/compulsory-military-service-abolished.html |website=spectator.sme.sk |date=25 July 2005 |access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref> The holder of a blue booklet could not be drafted for [[Military service|basic military service]] nor included in the [[Military reserve force|reserve]].
==Application process== Applications for a blue booklet had to be reviewed by the military administration's conscription board, usually on the basis of opinions from specialists. The usual procedure was that the applicant filled in a detailed questionnaire about his health condition and had it confirmed by his family doctor, who sent him for the relevant examinations according to the content of the questionnaire and the applicant's medical history. The applicant then submitted all pertinent documents to the conscription board for approval.<ref name="idnes">{{cite web|title=Modrá knížka? Podle toho, kde žijete |url=https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/modra-knizka-podle-toho-kde-zijete.A011119_211627_domaci_pol |website=idnes.cz |date=20 November 2001 |access-date=3 September 2021 |language=cs |trans-title=Blue Book? Depends Where You Live}}</ref>
==Reasons for exemption== Some common reasons for a person of eligible age to be exempted from military service included missing a limb, paralysis or immobility, lack of eyesight, deafness, and mental illness. In practice, allergies, asthma, spinal conditions, eye defects, or high blood pressure were the most common reasons for conscripts to receive blue booklets around the year 2000.
In addition, people opposed to the armed services or combat, known as [[conscientious objector]]s, also tried to obtain blue booklets.
==Cultural references== [[File:Modrá knížka 02.jpg|thumb|Inside of Czechoslovak blue booklet]]
References to blue booklets can be found in various artistic media, including music, literature, and film. [[Karel Plíhal]] recorded a song titled "Modrá knížka" on his 1992 album, ''Takhle nějak to bylo...'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Karel Plíhal – Takhle nějak to bylo...|url=https://www.discogs.com/Karel-Pl%C3%ADhal-Takhle-N%C4%9Bjak-To-Bylo-/master/614833 |website=discogs.com |date= |access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref> dealing with the despair of a young man who has obtained the coveted document. The Czech underground rock band [[DG 307]] was named after a psychiatric diagnosis that allowed young men to get a blue booklet,<ref name="idnes" /> and the rock group [[Blue Effect]]'s name is also inspired by the document, as most of its members were in possession of one. The 2010 comedy film ''[[Identity Card (2010 film)|Identity Card]]'' also references the booklet.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline|Blue Book (certificate of incapacity for military service)|Blue booklet}}
[[Category:Military of Czechoslovakia]] [[Category:Documents]] [[Category:Health in the Czech Republic]] [[Category:Health in Slovakia]]