Prague Spring
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The Prague Spring
The Prague Spring is referred to when the Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968. Below are the details surrounding the incident.
In 1948, communism was the only political party in Czechoslovakia. The communist take-over was a very popular movement. The first reason why it was a popular movement is because Joseph Stalin signed an agreement with Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt that the Red Army, which would then lead to pro-communism, would liberate Czechoslovakia. The second reason why it was a popular movement is because the people of Czechoslovakia remembered what it felt like to be betrayed by the West at the Munich Agreement, where most of Czechoslovakia was surrendered to Nazi Germany in 1938. (www.wikipedia.com).
“By the early 1950s, Czechoslovakia was a Soviet-style dictatorship and a loyal ally of the Soviet Union” (Goldman 123). Antonin Novoty was appointed the head of Czechoslovakia in 1952 by Joseph Stalin. Novoty was not well liked by the Communist Party. He refused to make changes to the political system, thinking that it would improve the Soviets political influence in Czechoslovakia. In 1967, many very popular writers rebelled against him. It made it more difficult for Novoty to establish policies. The Communist Party then asked him to resign in January 1968.
The post of the first Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was given to a man named Alexander Dubcek. Dubcek was a dedicated Communist, but was wary of the Soviet policies. He had met many people who came from Stalins Gulag, which had a tremendous effect on him.
Dubcek immediately started trying to reform all aspects of the culture. There were many different reforms that he tried putting into effect. He strived for free speech, economic experimentation, open borders, and open debate in the political aspect of the country. The reforms specifically included liberalization of the countrys repressive political environment, highly regimented economic system, and overly centralized administrative system, which has been come to know as the Prague Spring (Goldman 123). Also at this time, Czechoslovakias culture consisted of artists, writers, jazz clubs, and other cultures of the West were very popular in Prague. Dubcek described it as creating “socialism with a human face” (www.wikipedia.com).
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia had these specific reforms spelled out in its Action Program:
– Guarantees of freedom of speech, press, assembly and religious observance.
– Electoral laws to provide a broader choice of candidates and greater freedom for the non-communist parties within the National Front.
– Upgrading of power of parliament and the government at he expense of that of the
– Communist Party apparatus.
– Broad economic reforms to give enterprises greater independence, to achieve a convertible currency, revive a limited amount of private enterprise and increase trade with the Western countries.
– An independent judiciary.
– Federal status for Slovakia on an independent basis and a new constitution by the end of 1969.
– Full and fair rehabilitation of all persons who had been unjustly prosecuted between 1949 and 1954 and “moral personal and financial compensation” to persons affected by the rehabilitation.
– Exclusion from important posts in the countrys social and political life for those people who had taken part in past persecutions.
The Action Plan is what concerned the other Warsaw Pact Allies (www.thinkquest.org). The Soviet Union was getting upset that Czechoslovakia seemed to be getting away from conformity of the Soviet bloc. The Soviets criticized their ways, but Czechoslovakia did not listen, and Dubcek continued attempting to carry out these reforms.
In the summer of 1968, “the press began to openly discuss the reforms, and the Czechs and Slovaks embraced the recent reforms without considering the potential ramifications” (Schaff). Dubcek had expansive support from the people of Czechoslovakia because they were upset with the regime since the middle of the 1960s. The Soviet leadership, however, viewed it as a threat to their power over the Eastern bloc and the safety of the Soviet Union (www.wikipedia.com). They also feared that the quick changes in Czechoslovakia would destabilize their entire region. The Soviet leadership tried limiting the changes that were happening in Czechoslovakia through many different negotiations, but they had no affect.
The Soviets thought that Dubcek had lost all control over Czechoslovakia since the reforms were not halting. They also thought that Czechoslovakia was going through a period of counterrevolution. They believed that it was the same type of situation in Hungary that occurred in 1956. When Hungary went through a period of political loosening, the Soviet Union invaded them, so “Hungarian leaders tried to avert the same outcome in Czechoslovakia” (Schaff). They believed if they had the same outcome in Hungary, then they would have the same outcome in Czechoslovakia.
Brezhnev ordered the Soviet army to plan an invasion on Czechoslovakia. On August 20th, 1968, the Soviet Union, along with its Warsaw Pact allies (except Romania), invaded Czechoslovakia. “Some Czechs and Slovaks screamed at the Soviets, handed them leaflets that explained the reforms in Russian, and stoned their tanks. Others scratched swastikas onto the sides of Soviet tanks and stuffed flowers and Czechoslovak flags down the barrels. It soon became clear that, unlike