6. The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968

• Who is Leonid Brezhnev?

  • leader of the USSR 1964-82 (until his death)
  • Stalinist in views
  • built up a huge arsenal of nuclear missiles at great cost to SU
  • brought in Brezhnev doctrine in 1968 (after Prague Spring)
  • Beverly limited the amount of reform that could be brought in by E. European countries + affirmed the right of the SU to intervene in the affairs of communist countries to strengthen communism
• Increased tension over Czechoslovakia: (1)

  • since 1948 - Czechoslovakia = 'model satellite'
  • 1960s - opposition to Soviet control grew for several reasons
  • Novotny's fall from power: (1)
  • Antonin Novotny - Czech leader since 1957 -> unpopular as he was a hard-line Communist who follows the Soviet line + refused to introduce reform
• Increased tension over Czechoslovakia: (2)

  • Novotny's fall from power: (2)
  • Declining economy: (1)
  • Czechoslovakia economy = serious decline (1960s) -> led to fall in standard of living
  • SU forced Czechoslovakia to produce materials (eg steel) for the Soviet economy + SU stopped Czechoslovakian factories from producing consumer goods
  • 1962-3 - national income fell + Novotny's attempts at reform (after 1965) (New Economic Model = unsuccessful) -> they produced a surplus of consumer goods - only a few people could afford
• Increased tension over Czechoslovakia: (3)

  • Novotny's fall from power: (3)
  • Declining economy: (2)
  • Failure of economic reform encouraged many Czechoslovakians to demand greater democracy
  • October 1967 - reformers (eg Alexander Dubcek + economist Ota Sik) challenged Novotny's leadership -> at a meeting of the central Committee meeting
  • December 1967 - Dubcek invited Brezhnev to Prague -> Brezhnev = surprised at the extent of opposition to Novotny + withheld his support for Novotny
• Increased tension over Czechoslovakia: (4)

  • Novotny's fall from power: (4)
  • Novotny's replacement:
  • 5 January 1968 - Novotny was replaced as 1st Secretary of the Communist party by Dubcek (move supported by Brezhnev)
  • March - Novotny resigned as President of Czechoslovakia (replaced by General Ludvik Svoboda)
  • Svoboda (name means freedom in Czech) - war hero who supported Dubcek's reform programme
  • Novotny = removed
• Prague Spring Reforms, 1968: (1)

  • Series of reforms intruded by Dubcek - spring of 1968
  • Czechs called it 'socialism with a human face'
  • Dubcek - devoted communist + wanted to win support for the communist regime by removing its worse features
  • 10-Year programme for political change - would bring about democratic elections, a multi-party state + create a new form of democratic socialism
  • aim = to give the people of Czechoslovakia a greater say in the running of the country
• Prague Spring Reforms: (2)

  • Grater political freedom (inc. free speech + the abolition of press censorship)
  • March 1968 - newspapers were printing uncensored discussions of political + social problems -> coverage of news by Czech radio + tv became fuller
  • corruption + bureaucratic delays - exposed by media -> communist party leaders 'grilled' on live tv
  • A reduction in the powers of the secret police to imprison w/o trial
• Prague Spring Reforms: (3)

  • Removal of travel restrictions + fresh contact w/ the West (eg W. Germany)
  • Creation of works councils representing the workforce - to improve working conditions in factories + an increase in right for members of trade unions
• Reactions to the reforms: (1)

  • encouraged opponents of communism + led to demands for even radical reforms (eg June 1968 - Social Democrats began to form a separate, rival party to the communist party)
  • a leading journalist also published a manifesto where he called for people to take initiative + force even more extreme reforms
• Reactions to the reforms: (2)

  • SU = suspicious of changes taking place in Czechoslovakia -> one of the most important countries in Warsaw Pact bc its centrally placed + had the strongest industry
  • Brezhnev worried that Czechoslovakia might leave the Warsaw Pact allowing NATO to move in -> outcome would split the E. bloc + advance NATO's frontier 700km further to the East so it bordered SU
• Other reasons for the invasion: (1)

  • soviets worried that the new ideas in Czechoslovakia might spread to other E. European countries -> Brezhnev came under pressure from Polish + E. German leader to stop reforms
  • Bilak = Slovakian communist leader + staunch communist who opposed the Prague spring reforms
  • 1/5 leading opponents of the reforms - signed a letter sent to Brezhnev suggesting communism itself was under threat + asking him to use 'all the means at your disposal' to end these reforms -> effectively encouraging SU to invade his country
• Other reasons for the invasion: (2)

  • SU = afraid that Czechoslovakia was becoming closer -> W. Germany + seemed to them that industrial relations (C + W. G) were being strengthened each day
  • eventually W. Germany might come dominate the economy of Czechoslovakia + other E. European countries
  • soviet invasion followed the build-up tension between Warsaw pact countries (led by SU) + Czechoslovakian gov of Dubcek
• Invasion of Czechoslovakia: Timeline (1)

  • 1968:
  • June - soviet tanks remained in Czechoslovakia after Warsaw pact military exercises
  • July - Brezhnev met w/ Warsaw Pact countries in Warsaw -> shared concerns over events in Prague + few days later Brezhnev met w/ Dubcek
  • Dubcek agreed not to allow a new Socialist Democratic Party + to remain in Warsaw pact -> insisted on reforms (SU seemed reassured + tension eased)
• Invasion of Czechoslovakia: Timeline (2)

  • 1968:
  • 3 August - Brezhnev + representatives from Warsaw pact met w/ Dubcek in Bratislava + signed the Bratislava Declaration (declared their faith to communism) -> Brezhnev seemed assured
  • 9 August - Yugoslavian leader, Tito, distrusted by SU - given an enthusiastic reception upon his visit to Czechoslovakia -> seemed like Dubcek was moving to Czech's independence
• Invasion of Czechoslovakia: Timeline (3)

  • 1968:
  • 15-18 August - 3 day meeting session of the soviet Politburo (supreme policy making body of Soviet communist party) to decide future actions
  • Brezhnev shouted at Dubcek on the phone saying his actions would take down the Warsaw Pact
  • 20 August - SU invaded Czechoslovakia
• Re-establishing Soviet control : (1)

  • 20-21 August 1968 - 1000s of soviet troops backed by units from Bulgaria, E. Germany, Hungary + Poland enter Czechoslovakia
  • C threw petrol bombs at soviet tanks as they moved through Prague
  • buildings = set on fire + protesters assembled in Wenceslas Square
  • barricades = set up in the streets + students tore down street names to confuse invaders -> some even got into tanks + argued w/ Soviet soldiers
• Re-establishing Soviet control : (2)

  • Anti-soviet broadcasters stayed on air by moving hiding places
  • no armed resistance by the Czech army + >100 people killed
  • Dubcek + other leaders = arrested + taken to Moscow - forced to accept end of Czechoslovakian move towards democracy -> over next few years = hard-line Czechoslovakian officials replaced the reforming Czech leaders
• The Brezhnev Doctrine: (1)

  • Soviets used propaganda - show events in Czechoslovakia = serious threat to SU
  • autumn 1968 - Brezhnev doctrine introduced - to justify invasion
  • according to doctrine - SU had the right to invade any country in E. Europe whose actions appeared to threaten the security of E. bloc
  • Brezhnev insisted SU had no choice but to invade - Dubcek's actions threatened Warsaw pact + Soviet control of E. Europe
• The Brezhnev Doctrine: (2)

  • doctrine redefined communism as a one-party system + declared all member countries had to remain in the Warsaw pact
  • invasion - sent a message to the members of Warsaw pact that the SU would suppress any attempts to relax communist control
  • Brezhnev stated that if any capitalist countries threatened any communist nations - other communist states had the right to forcefully intervene
• Consequences of Invasion: (1)

  • Czechoslovakia:
  • Demonstrated against SU - lasted until April 1969
  • Jan 1969 - Jan Palach set fire to himself (Wenceslas Square) in protest against invasion -> nevertheless, Czech communist party = purged
  • Dubcek - forced to resign + wasn't executed but sent as an ambassador to Turkey (where he resigns from the Czech communist party)
  • Gustav Husak (new leader) turned Czechoslovakia back to strict communist rule
• Consequences of invasion: (2)

  • Soviet + US Relations: (1)
  • invasion doesn't rlly endanger Soviet-American relations + thawed relations cont. after slight break
  • US mid presidential election during 1968 + preoccupied w/ Vietnam War
  • Brezhnev + Lyndon B. Johnson (president) -> unspoken deal that US wouldn't intervene w/ Czech as long as SU didn't intervene w/ Vietnam
• Consequences of Invasion: (3)

  • Soviet + US Relations: (2)
  • Soviet invasion temporarily worsened relations between E vs W -> W. countries protested about invasion
  • America publicly condemned the invasion -> offered no military support
  • events reduced international criticism of USA's involvement in Vietnam -> soviet invasion seen as far worse
• Consequences of Invasion: (4)

  • Western Europe:
  • W. countries followed America's lead -> condemned the invasion but provided no military help
  • W. European Communist countries -> developed their own form of European communism (Eurocommunism)
  • SU increasingly lost influence in these W. European countries
  • Communist parties in Italy + France were outraged + publicly declared themselves to be independent of the Soviet Communist Party
• Consequences of Invasion: (5)

  • Communist countries: (1)
  • Increased rivalry (China + USSR) -> china criticised the use of force against a communist nation + feared soviet invasion of China
  • Yugoslavian + Romanian govs both condemned the invasion + distanced themselves
  • 1968 - Yugoslavian + Romanian communists formed alliances w/ china -> SU didn't react (preoccupied w/ events in Czechoslovakia)
• Consequences of Invasion: (6)

  • Communist countries: (2)
  • other communist countries began to move away from Moscow -> President Ceausescu of Romania refused to send troops to join the invasion + took an independent line against the SU
  • Albania did the same + left the Warsaw Pact (1968)