cold war:1968

Question 1

explain the Prague Spring

Answer 1

-mid 1960s: Ota Sik called for economic reform of Czechoslovakia:
(1) less control of the economy and lifting of ban on private businesses
(2) rights for consumers
(3) more power for ordinary workers
(4) government should be more ready to listen to people’s concerns
-USSR rejected suggestions

Question 2

explain the idea of ‘Socialism with a human face’

Answer 2

-January 1968: Novotny forced to resign by Soviet government, replaced by Alexander Dubcek
-Dubcek immediately introduced political reforms, declaring a ‘new start to socialism’ and ‘socialism with a human face’. he:
(1) removed state controls on industry, allowing Czechs to run their own businesses
(2) allowed public meetings and freedom of speech
(3) ended press censorship
(4) gave Czechs the right to visit non-communist countries
-he pledged total loyalty to the Warsaw Pact

Question 3

how did Soviets react to the Prague Spring Movement?

Answer 3

-new Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, challenged with maintaining Moscow’s influence without worsening the situation
-July: Warsaw Pact met without Czechoslovakia to discuss situation. after meeting, they issued the ‘Warsaw Letter’ to Czech government
-letter acknowledged that each country had the right to self-determination but warned that challenging the communist system in one country risked damaging the system as a whole
-Brezhnev held meetings with Dubcek in the hopes of convincing him to reverse the reforms but he didn’t listen
-so Brezhnev and other countries of the Warsaw Pact turned to force

Question 4

explain the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia

Answer 4

-20 August 1968: Soviet forces entered Czechoslovakia and quickly seized control of Prague
-was some civilian resistance, but Dubcek ordered army not to fight back (people who resisted the invaders were dealt with brutally)
-in a final act of defiance, Czech radio stations broadcast reports of invasion worldwide, describing it as a violation of socialist principles and international law
-Dubcek arrested and later forced to reverse the reforms
-100 protesters killed and 500 wounded, Prague Spring over
-1969: new hard-line government, loyal to Moscow and Soviet-style communism established; Dubcek expelled from party
-Dubcek not put on trial or executed (unlike Nagy after Hungarian Uprising); he later returned to politics after the eventual fall of the Soviet Union 20 years later

Question 5

what was the communist response around the world to the events in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 5

-communists around the world were outraged
-communists in Western, non-communist countries saw the Soviet action as an act of betrayal and an act of imperialism
-protests in China and Yugoslavia (countries not part of USSR’s sphere of influence)
-relations with China damaged
-small protest in Red Square in centre of Moscow
-soldiers had been told that their action had been requested by Czechoslovakian people (discovered this to be a lie)
-1968: many people lost their faith in communism

Question 6

what was the Western response to the events in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 6

-USA quick to condemn the Soviet invasion and cancel upcoming meeting between President Lyndon B. Johnson and Brezhnev
-were attempts at the UN to pass a resolution condemning the violence (but USSR’s veto meant this wasn’t possible)
-no further action taken by US or its allies (US government more concerned with Vietnam)
-had been established in Hungary in 156, that the USA wouldn’t interfere with Soviet action behind the Iron Curtain; Czechoslovakia didn’t change that

Question 7

explain the Brezhnev Doctrine

Answer 7

-November 1968: Brezhnev made a speech (outlined his position on any future threats to communism)
-stated that the USSR had the right to invade any country in its sphere of influence which threatened the stability of eastern Europe
-made it clear that the USSR was determined to keep communist governments in place in Europe
-made it cleat that if other countries followed Czechoslovakia and resisted, they would face the same consequences

Question 8

what were the impacts of the Brezhnev Doctrine?

Answer 8

-drove a further wedge between the USSR and China
-USA’s initial response was to end all discussion about improving relations or withdrawal of weaponry
-however, later the US government realised they didn’t want to throw away the progress that had been made
-instead, American government decided to view new Soviet policy as defensive