4.3 Czechoslovakia 1968-1969

• When did Dubcek become the leader of the Czech government?


  January 1968
• When did the Prague Springs reform begin?


  April 1968
• When did Soviet invade Czechslovakia?


  August 1968
• When did the Pravada newspaper publish a speech setting out the Breznev Doctrine?

  September 1968
• When was Dubcek dismissed?

  1969
• How long was the Prague spring till?

  1968 - 1969
• What was life like for Czechslovakia under Soviet control? What were their thoughts on this control?


  Life under communist rule/soviet control was hard for people living in Czechslovakia. Since Czech was ruled under USSR they had secret police to control/maintain everything

  
  

  The Czechoslovakia economy was run for the benefit of Soviet Union and there were few consume goods for the Czech people. There was no freedom of speech and radio, newspapers and television was censored. They had poor standard of living and lack of freedom only increased
• What happened on 1968 - who was elected as first secretary of the Czech Goverment?

  Alexander Dubcek was elected as his first secretary of the Czech Communist Party - in effect, the head of the Czech Government. The Soviet Union approved of Dubcek and trusted him to make the Goverment of Czechoslovakia mor effective and less unpopular, while still keeping the country loyal to the Soviet Union
• What are Dubcek's interest/ his views that was the opposite of what people would expect?

  Dubcek was a devoted communist and devoted to the Warsaw Pact. He believed communism is the right political path. However, it shouldn't cause people to miserable (like the Czech people). He believes that the communist government should introduce 'socialism' - where citizens are able to enjoy life and have freedom of speech to express their views, and have a right to speak out about any decisions made by the communist party, they dislike without getting punished by the Goverment for that
• What is socialism?

  A political/economic theory that states that the people should own and control the making and selling of goods
• So what did Dubcek introduce in April 1968 in favour of his interest?


  In April 1968, the reforms Dubcek introduced from April became known as the Prague Spring
• What were the reforms introduced by Dubcek known as?


  'The Prague Spring
• What did the reforms AKA 'Prague Spring' consist of?

  1) Censorship was relaxed and criticism of the Government was allowed

  2) Trade with the West increased?

  3) More power was given to the Czech regional governments

  4) Czech people were given freedom to travel the world
• Czechoslovakian peoples response to the reforms?

  Met with great enthusiasm by the Czech people
• People in russia's response to these new reforms - especially in Moscow?

  The reforms Dubcek introduced were less popular in Moscow. However Dubcek reassured Moscow that they are still part of the Warsaw Pact and a loyal ally to the Soviet Union
• How did the New Soviet Leader bhreznev respond to this?


  (Brezhnev was replaced by Khrushchev in 1968)

  
  

  Brezhnev disapproved on what Dubcek was doing/many of the measures he was proposing. He considered that if the measures introduced are being introduced in Czechoslovakia then other Warsaw Pact members would want those same reforms too.

  
  

  —> since Romania was refusing to attend the Warsaw Pact meetings, and the Yugoslavian lesder (tito) is refusing to be controlled by Moscow. Possibly Moscow also lost control of Czechslovakia
• How else did Brezhnev respond to Dubecks reforms as it was going throughout the months?


  Throughout the months after the reforms were announced by Dubcek, he kept in contact with Dubcek and asked him to remove his reforms as he is endangering communism my increasing the measures of his reforms. So he ordered manoeuvres in Czechoslovakia to threaten Dubcek
• What did Brezhnev do on 20th August 1968 to physically act out against Dubcek and Czechslovakia?


  On 20th August 1968, Brezhnev ordered 500,000 troops of the Warsaw pact to invade Czechoslovakia and end the reforms/Prague springs. Brezhnev ordered the Czech army to remain in its barrack just i case they tried to fight back the forces.

  
  

  Czech people had little authority and couldn't anything to go against the powerful invading forces

  
  

  (The invading forces were told that they were being invited to help restore law and order by the Czech government) - they were shocked by the hostility they encountered)
• What happened to Dubcek after the end of the Prague Spring/ the invasion?

  Dubcek was arrested and was sent to Moscow and ordered to reverse his reforms. Brezhnev sent him back to Prague. However in 1969, Dubcek was removed from office and replaced by an extremist communist known as Gustav Husak - he was very loyal to Moscow, he introduced a wave of oppression in which over a thousand Czechs were arrested. For the next 20 years, the country was firmly under Soviet-approved communist rule
• Key points of the concept of invasion

  - Dubceks reforms offered 'dangerous' freedoms

  - Brezhnev knew the west would not help Czechslovakia

  - USSR did not want to look like it could control its satellite states

  - The soviet safety 'buffer zone' might be under threat

  - The future of the Warsaw Pact might be endangered

  - Soviet Satellites and republics would want same rights
• What was the Brezhnev Doctrine and when was it introduced?

  It was introduced on 26th September 1968:

  
  

  The doctrine consist of Brezhnev exclaiming that the actions of any communist country affected all communist countries. If one one country's actions threatened other countries, then it's the duty of those countries to take a step and stop these actions — basically referring to the reforms
• Impact of prague spring/USSR invasion in Czechslovakia


  When the USSR Invasion ended the Prague Spring, the authorities soon put everything back to 'normal' for czechslovakia
• Impact of prague spring/USSR invasion in countries of Eastern Europe

  1) Yugoslavia and Romania condemned the Soviet Invasion, straining relations between their governments and Moscow

  
  

  2) The communist parties of Italy and France cut links with Moscow

  
  

  3) The Governments of East Germany and Poland welcomed Brezhnev's actions. They could feel more secure that they would not be challenged by reformers in their own countries

  
  

  4) The defeat of Prague Spring led to greater Soviet Control of the members of the Warsaw Pact. This emphasised by the Brezhnev Doctrine, which stated that members of the Warsaw Pact were under close control of the Soviet Union
• Impact of prague spring/USSR invasion between USA/Soviet Union

  1) The USA and other Western Goverments were angered by the invasion and many of them made strong protests to the Soviet Union

  
  

  2) There was an attempt to pass a formal resolution criticising the invasion in the United Nations, but this was vetoed by the Soviet Union

  
  

  3) The Soviet Union saw that, while the USA might make protests, it would not take direct action to oppose Soviet Union in Europe