6. USSR, Czechoslovakia & Prague Spring Flashcards
Who replaced Khrushchev and why?
Hardline Brezhnev in 1964 due to dissatisfaction with parts of his domestic and foreign policies
Who replaced the hardline leader Novotny as Czech leader and why? (2)
- The more moderate Alexander Dubcek
- A series of demonstrations directed against the lack of civil rights and the appalling standard of living that had resulted from two decades of communist role
Reasons for Czech reforms (3)
- the Czechs lived in poverty and Czechoslovak industrial products were being exported to the USSR
- Students were resentful of the restrictions on freedom
- Union of Czechoslovak Writers wanted freedom of the press
What did Dubcek call the Action Programme he wanted to achieve ?
Socialism with a human face
Czech reforms included in the Action Programme
- freedom of speech and of the press
- less centralised economic control
- development of foreign trade
- removal of restrictions on travel abroad
- reduction in the powers of the secret police
Reactions to Czech reforms
- Widespread public approval
Czech reforms nickname
Prague spring
Communism and Warsaw Pact in regards to Dubcek
Dubcek was committed to socialism and guaranteed that Czechoslovakia would remain in the Warsaw Pact
Why did Brezhnev dislike the reforms? (2)
- He feared that the reforms would be copied by other Eastern European countries and would ultimately result in the destruction of the Iron Curtain
- Communist leaders of Poland and East Germany expressed similar fears
What did Brezhnev do in response to a letter from four Czechoslovak communists despite Dubcek’s assurances? (5)
- On 20th August 1968,
- 400,000 mostly Soviet troops entered Czechoslovakia.
- It was officially a Warsaw Pact Operation, in reality it was mainly a soviet force
- Dubcek urged Czech people to limit their opposition to passive resistance because continued opposition would be pointless
- 80 people were killed
How did the crisis end ? (2)
- Dubcek was summoned to Moscow. On his return to Prague he announced to the people that the Prague Spring had ended
- He was demoted but not executed
- Replaced by hardline Gustav Husak
Differences between Hungarian uprising and Prague Spring (6)
- Repression of Prague Spring wasn’t as violent (only 80 people killed compared to 30,000)
- Both Dubcek and Nagy were both moderate leaders who replaced a leader before the changes (Novotny and Rakosi respectively)
- Dubcek was demoted rather than killed
- Both replaced by hardline leaders (Husak and Kadar respectively)
- In Prague spring those who has supported the reforms lost their jobs and homes and found themselves under constant observation, on Hungary 250,000 fled westwards
- Little violent resistance to Soviet invasion but 19th January 1969, Jan Palach was the first of a number of students who burned themselves to death in protest
Impact on relations and response from West (6)
- Invasion prompted thousands of communist party members in Western Europe to resign membership
- West didn’t respond with anything more than words of sympathy
- Czechoslovakia was already communist which didn’t fall under the policy of containment
- Invasion didn’t impact relations very much
- USA was too caught up in Vietnam war to do anything
- Also keen not to damage the recent improvement in relations between East and West that became known as détente
What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?
- Late in 1968, Brezhnev justified his actions that he took in Czechoslovakia.
- He argued that it was always the duty of communist countries to act together to prevent another communist state from turning to capitalism.
- This became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine
Why did the USSR consider its invasion of Czechoslovakia a success?
From a Soviet viewpoint their actions were successful due to there being little serious unrest in the region until the early 1980s
