Conflict and Tension between East and West - Czechoslovakia

Question 1

what was the background of Czechoslovakia before the Prague Spring?

Answer 1

• it was a one-party communist state that answered to Moscow as a member of the Warsaw Pact
• the country’s leader Antonin Novotny was known to be particularly corrupt even among other senior party officials; communist leaders in Moscow were well aware that such a discredited figure could damage the image and power of the party

Question 2

what did Ota Sik recommend?

Answer 2

• in the mid-1960s a respected Czech economist recommended:
• less central control of the economy and the lifting of the ban on private business
• rights for consumers
• more power for ordinary workers
• the government should be more ready to listen to people’s concerns

Question 3

how did the USSR respond to Ota Sik’s recommendation?

Answer 3

• the USSR rejected the suggestions outright
• In 1966, Sik called for full political reform, believing that it was the only way to improve the economy
• his ideas quickly grew in popularity and Moscow realised that some change would be needed to avoid a revolt
• In 1968, Novotny was forced to resign by the Soviet government. He was replaced by Alexander Dubcek, another senior communist party official
• the Soviets believed that Dubcek would manage the situation and calm the calls for change

Question 4

how did Dubcek rule Czechoslovakia?

Answer 4

• Dubcek immediately set about introducing the political reforms, taking the soviets completely by surprise. The new leader:
• removed state controls on industry, allowing Czechs to run their own businesses
• allowed public meetings and freedom of speech
• ended press censorship
• gave Czechs the right to visit non-communist countries

Question 5

how did the USSR initially respond to Dubcek’s reforms?

Answer 5

• despite its concerns, the USSR did not stop the reforms and Dubcek introduced ever more radical changes in what became known as the ‘Prague Spring movement’

Question 6

how did Dubcek anger the rest of the countries in the Warsaw Pact?

Answer 6

• Dubcek announced plans to open borders with Western countries and to remove all remaining censorship of the press
• this was too much for the rest of the members of the Warsaw Pact and they began to show their displeasure

Question 7

how did the Warsaw Pact respond to Czechoslovakia’s reforms?

Answer 7

• in June 1968, the Czech border was chosen as the location for Warsaw Pact military exercises by Soviet, Polish and East German troops. this was to intimidate Dubcek’s government
• in July, the Warsaw Pact met without Czechoslovakia to discuss the situation
• after the meeting, they issued the ‘Warsaw Letter’’ to the Czech government, warning that a challenge to the communist system in one country risked damaging the system as a whole
• Brezhnev held a series of meetings with Dubcek in the hope of convincing him to reverse the reforms but the Czechoslovakian leader did not listen
• unable to solve the crisis diplomatically, Brezhnev and the countries of the Warsaw Pact turned to force

Question 8

how did the Soviets invade Czechoslovakia?

Answer 8

• in August 1968, soviet forces entered Czechoslovakia and quickly seized control of Prague
• although there was some civilian resistance, Dubcek ordered the army not to fight back
• people who resisted the invaders were dealt with brutally; Dubcek knew that they stood no chance and would be slaughtered
• a hundred protesters were killed and 500 were wounded

Question 9

how did the Czech retaliate during the soviet invasion?

Answer 9

• in a final act of defiance, Czech radio stations broadcast reports of the invasion to the world, describing it as a violation of socialist principles and international law

Question 10

what happened to Dubcek after the end of the Prague spring?

Answer 10

• Dubcek was arrested and forced to reverse the reforms
• unlike Nagy after the Hungarian Uprising, however, he was not put on trial or executed and he returned to politics after the eventual fall of the Soviet Union 20 years later

Question 11

how did communists respond to events in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 11

• communists around the world were outraged by the soviet action in Czechoslovakia
• for many people across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the events in Czechoslovakia had shown that their governments were not revolutionaries or committed communists, but were concerned only with staying in power
• in the year 1968 many people lost their faith in communism

Question 12

what was the western response to events in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 12

• the USA was quick to condemn the Soviet invasion and to cancel the upcoming meeting between US President Johnson and Brezhnev
• other Western countries also heavily criticised the Soviet action and there were attempts at the UN to pass a resolution condemning the violence, but the USSR’s veto meant that this was not possible
• no further action was taken by the USA or its allies. The American government was much more concerned with events in Vietnam
  It was established in Hungary in 1956 that the USA would not interfere with the Soviet action behind the Iron Curtain. Czechoslovakia did not change that.

Question 13

what was the Brezhnev doctrine?

Answer 13

• In November 1968, three months after he had ordered troops into Czechoslovakia, Brezhnev made a speech in which he outlined his position on any future threats to communism
  -> he made it clear that the USSR was determined to keep communist governments in place in Europe and further afield

Question 14

what was the impact of the Brezhnev doctrine?

Answer 14

• it drove a further wedge between the USSR and China
• China was in the middle of the cultural revolution, a time of huge upheaval, and was concerned that Brezhnev was suggesting that the Soviets might somehow interfere
• USA decided to view the new Soviet policy as defensive to avoid conflict