Prague Spring

• Dubcek was committed to the Warsaw pact (devoted communist)

  • He said that communism should offer 'socialism with a human face'

  It states that citizens should enjoy life, be able to express their views in public and speak out against communist party decisions that they objected to without fear

  • This became known as the Prague spring
• Reforms

  Censorship relaxed and criticisms of government actions allowed

  • Trade union - given wider powers and government control of industry reduced.
  • More power given to the Czech regional governments
  • Trade with the West increased
  • Czech people were given greater freedoms to travel abroad
  • Idea of having multi-party elections discussed but it was not to happen for many years
• The Prague Spring was met with great enthusiasm in Czechoslovakia.
• Reforms were less popular in Moscow. Dubcek was loyal to the Warsaw pact but Brezhnev (after Khrushchev) feared that other Warsaw pact members would also make reforms and Soviet control would be at risk.

  Dubcek invited Ceausescu of Romania and Tito of Yugoslavia to Prague for 'talks'

  Brezhnev decided to act