prague spring

• What year was the Prague Spring?

  1968
• Who was the hard lined leader of Czechoslovakia?

  Novotny
• Why was Novotny so unpopular?

  - He restricted basic human rights.

  - in particular his economic reforms failed and there was a lack of consumer goods.
• Who was the Soviet Leader in 1968?

  Brezhenev
• Why did Brezhnev remove Novotny from power?

  Brezhenev visited Prague in 1968 and was shocked by how unpopular communism was.
• Who replaced Novotny as leader of Czechoslovakia?

  Alexander Dubcek
• What reforms did Novotny attempt to introduce?


  - limited capitalism.

  - greater freedom of speech.

  - greater coopreration with the west.
• What were Dubcek's reforms known as?

  Prague Spring
• Why did Brezhnev decide to end the Prague Spring?

  in 1968 Dubcek met with the leaders of Romanian and Yugoslavia, this led Brezhnev to fear the reforms may spread and weaken his grip on power.
• How did the Soviet Union end the Prague Spring?

  - Brezhnev sent in the Warsaw troops and arrested Dubcek.
• How did the Czech people respond to the Soviet invasion?

  -they protested peacefully by placing flowers in the hair of soldiers.

  - Jan Palach set himself on fire in protest.

  - there was no major violence as the people were aware of what had happened in Hungary 12 years earlier.
• What were the consequences of the Prague Spring?

  - Brezhnev declared the Brezhenv doctrine, this made it clear that no further reform would be tolerated. this meant that it would not be until Gorbachev in 1985 that greater freedom was granted.

  - communism was re-established in Czechoslovakia.

  - this damaged Eastern and Western relations as it was condemned by the USA and NATO.