chapter 6

Question 1

novotny’s fall from power

Answer 1

• novotny had been czech leader since 1957
• unpopular as he was a communist, refused to introduce reform
• economy was in decline in the 60s, ussr forced them to produce materials only for them and stopped production of consumer goods
• national income fell in 62/3 and attempts at reform in 65 (new economic model) were unsuccessful
• 1967, reformers including dubcek challenged his leadership and brezhnev withdrew support for him
• replaced by dubcek as head of communists and by svoboda as in 1968

Question 2

prague spring reforms

Answer 2

• introduced in 1968
• greater political freedom (free speech, no censorship)
• 10 year programme for political change (democratic elections, multi-party state)
• reduced powers of the secret police
• removal of travel restrictions to the west
• improved working conditions in factories
• increased rights for members of trade unions

Question 3

reactions to the reforms

Answer 3

• encouraged opponents of communism + demands for radical reform
• june 1968, social dems formed a new party as a rival to the communists
• ussr was suspicious as cs was important in the warsaw pact (centrally placed + strong industry)
• would lead to nato bordering the soviet union

Question 4

other reasons for invasion

Answer 4

• brezhnev was pressured by other leaders to stop reform in cs
• slovakian leader encouraged him to invade
• ussr afraid that cs was too close with west germany as relations strengthened
• build up of tension between warsaw pact countries

Question 5

re-establishing soviet control

Answer 5

• 20/21 august 1968, soviet troops backed by other countries entered cs, who threw bombs at soviet tanks in prague
• buildings set on fire, protestors in the street, barricades set up, students tore down street names, anti-soviet broadcasters moved around
• less than 100 killed
• dubcek taken to moscow

Question 6

brezhnev doctrine

Answer 6

• ussr had the right to invade any country in eastern europe who appear to threaten the security of the whole eastern bloc
• sent a message to the rest of the warsaw pact members

Question 7

czechoslovakia

Answer 7

demonstrations against the soviet invasion happened until april 1969

• student set fire to himself in protest against soviet regime
• czech communist party purged
• dubcek replaced by husak and reverted to strict communism

Question 8

soviet and usa relations

Answer 8

relations worsened after cs invasion

• us was preoccupied with vietnam
• unspoken agreement between brezhnev and johnson that neither country would get involved in czechoslovakia/vietnam

Question 9

westerne europe

Answer 9

condemned invasion but didn’t provide any help

• western communist parties declared themselves independent of the soviets
• ussr lost influence in western europe

Question 10

communist countries

Answer 10

• increased rivalry between china and ussr (china criticised use of force, ussr feared invasion)
• other communist countries moved away from moscow
• albania become independent against the ussr in 1968
• yugoslavia and romania distanced themselves from soviet union and formed alliances with china