EURAS Proceedings 2017

The Czech (Czechoslovak) technical standardization was institutionalized soon after the disintegration of Austro-Hungary and after the establishment of its successor states, i. e. independent Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918.3 The first Czechoslovak standardization institution was founded on December 28, 1922 as the Czechoslovak Standardization Society (Czech acronym ČSN).4 Enjoying the status of a generally beneficial, non-profit organization, the Society was made up of manufacturing plants, professional unions, commercial organizations, universities, etc. Members paid membership fees and participated in the institution’s activities according to their interest and at their own costs. Draft technical standards were drawn up by experts from industrial plants, research institutes, universities etc. The International Association of Standardization Organizations (ISA) was established in Prague six years later, in 1928, initiated by Czech professor Vladimír List (1877–1971) within a group of European technicians. In the years 1932–1934 Vladimír List also served as the ISA President, a post that was accordedto him not only in recognition of his technical achievements and erudition; it also had a great impact on the development of Czechoslovak standardization in general and in the electrical engineering sector in particular.