Czechoslovakia

• What was the Prague Spring?

  A period of political liberalisation and reform in Czechoslovakia in 1968, when the government of Czechoslovakia wanted to democratise the nation and reduce the control the USSR had on the country.
• When was the Prague Spring?

  The Prague Spring took place between 5th January and 21st August in 1968.
• Who was responsible for the Prague Spring?


  Alexander Dubček
• Since 1957, Czechoslovakia had been led by Antonin Novotný, a hard-line communist who did not bring in reforms despite Khrushchev's de-Stalinisation policy.
• By the 1960s, the Czech economy was struggling and the standard of living was dropping.
• When the leader of the USSR, Brezhnev, visited Czechoslovakia in December 1967, he withdrew his support for Novotný because he was so unpopular.
• Novotný was replaced by Dubček as the leader of Czechoslovakia on 5th January, 1968, in the hope that this would reduce discontent.
• Dubček wanted to reform communism to create 'socialism with a human face', enabling the public to be more involved in the government and hopefully increasing support for communism.
• What were the reforms of the Prague Spring?

  Censorship relaxed, free speech allowed, other political parties allowed, work councils set up to improve working conditions, secret police restricted, capitalist elements allowed, travel restrictions lifted
• Which Soviet policies did Dubcek keep?

  They would stay in the Warsaw Pact, keep the alliance with the USSR, wouldn't change foreign policy
• What was the response from the Czechoslovakian Communist Party?

  They were horrified, saw it as a threat to communism, sent a letter to Brezhnev to ask him to intervene on 3rd August 1968
• Why were Eastern Bloc leaders concerned?

  Romania would not attend Warsaw Pact meetings.

  
  

  Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia, did not want the USSR to control his country.

  
  

  They feared the Prague Spring would lead to calls for reform elsewhere in the Soviet Union's sphere of influence.
• On 20th-21st August, 1968, 500,000 Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops entered Prague to arrest the reformers.
• Nobody in Czechoslovakia was expecting an invasion, especially the armed troops who were completely unprepared.
• Dubček and other leaders were arrested and taken to Moscow to meet Brezhnev.
• Dubček was forced to sign the Moscow Protocol, which stated that Czechoslovakia would protect communism and the reforms would be reversed.
• All the reforms were reversed when Dubček returned to Czechoslovakia.
• In August 1968, the Brezhnev Doctrine was created: The USSR had the right to invade any country in its sphere of influence which threatened the stability of eastern Europe.
• What was the reaction of the West to the Soviet invasion?

  • The UN wanted to condemn the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops, but the USSR vetoed this.
  • The USA and the West condemned the invasion.
  • However, the USA did nothing because it was distracted by Vietnam, there was a US presidential election, and it was the beginning of détente.
• What was the importance of the Prague Spring?

  • It led to the creation of the Brezhnev Doctrine, which increased USSR control over eastern Europe.
  • It split the communist world, as communist parties in western Europe became independent of USSR control and communist China condemned the invasion.
  • It highlighted that while the USA would condemn the USSR's actions, it wouldn't take any steps to stop them.
• Communists in western countries condemned the invasion and created their own version of communism, called Eurocommunism.
• In France and Italy, the Communist Party condemned the USSR's actions.
• Yugoslavia and Romania spoke out against the USSR's invasion, which worsened their relationship with the Soviet Union.
• Poland and East Germany were very supportive of the invasion, as they were trying to control reformers in their own countries.
• Communist China condemned the USSR invasion of Czechoslovakia, and the relationship between the two countries greatly deteriorated.