czechslovakia (prague spring)

• why was there oppostion to Novotny

  • one party dictatorship
  • few human rights
  • low standard of living
  • economy served soviet needs
  • short term: recession --> poor levels of output
• when was prague spring

  1968
• what political reforms did dubcek make

  • "socialism with a human face"
  • no censorship
  • recognition of slovak customers
  • increased trade union rights
  • freedom of movement
• what economic/social reforms did dubcek make

  • farmers allowed independent farms away from state controlled
  • businesses having more control over wages + prices
• what stayed the same under dubcek

  • still committed to communism
  • reassured that they weren't leaving warsaw pact
• brehznev sent tanks to defend communism

  • socialism with a human face offered an alternative to soviet control
  • feared more demands and loss of control
  • no censorship allowed criticism of USSR
• brehznev sent tanks to maintain warsaw pact

  • czech was in centre of eastern bloc, could easily influence other countries
  • East Germany (Ulbricht) and Poland (Gomulka) were worried their people would get ideas
• results of prague spring

  • dubcek arrested
  • husak new communist leader
  • soviet troops stationed there
• what was brehznev doctrine

  brezhnev introduced policy in 1968 meaning E.E couldn't have non-communist governments - response to prague spring