Czechoslovakia, 1968-69 Flashcards
Describe the Rise of the Communist Government in Czechoslovakia
-In 1948, Stalin had supported a coup in Czechoslovakia which removed non-communists from power and established a pro-Soviet government.
-The government was led by the head of the Czech communist part, Klement Gottwald.
-Life under communist rule was difficult for the Czech people.
Describe Antonin Novotny’s Beliefs About Communism
-Novotny had been the Czech leader since 1957. He was unpopular- he was a hard line communist who followed the Soviet line and refused to introduce any change.
-He was also slow to follow Khrushchev’s policy of destalinisation, including the release of political prisoners jailed under Stalin.
Describe the State of Czechoslovakia Under Antonin Novotny
-In the 1960s, the Czech economy was in serious decline which led to a fall in loving standards.
-The economy was run for the benefit of the Soviet Union who forced Czech industry to produce materials such as steel for the Soviet economy, yet the Czech economy needed those materials.
-The Soviet Union also stopped Czechoslovakian factories from producing consumer goods. In 1962-63 national income fell.
-Novotny’s attempts at reform after 1965, known as the New Economic Model, were unsuccessful, since they produced a lot of consumer goods that few people could afford.
Describe the Response to Novotny’s Failed Economic Reforms
-The failure of economic reform encouraged many Czechoslovakians to demand greater democracy.
-Protests against the low standard of living and lack of freedoms grew, with student demonstrations in 1966 showing how unpopular the government was.
-In October 1967, a number of reformers including Alexander Dubcek challenged Novotny’s leadership.
-The Soviet leader, Brezhnev, was surprised at the extent of opposition to Novotny; he withheld support for the Czech leader.
Describe Alexander Dubcek’s Beliefs About Communism
-In 1968, Dubcek was elected as leader of the Czech Communist Party and therefore the head of government.
-The Soviet leadership approved of Dubcek and trusted him to make the Czech government more effective and less unpopular while keeping the country completely loyal to the Soviet Union.
-Dubcek was committed to the Warsaw Pact and a devoted communist. He believed that communism was the right political path but should not make life miserable.
-He thought civilians should be able to enjoy life, publicly express their views and criticise government decisions without fear of being punished (‘socialism with a human face’).
Describe Dubcek’s Reforms in Czechoslovakia, ‘The Prague Spring’
-Censorship was relaxed and criticism of the government was allowed.
-Trade unions were given wider powers and government control of industry was reduced.
-More power was given to the Czech regional governments.
-Trade with the West was increased.
-Czech people were given greater freedom to travel abroad.
-The idea of having multi-party elections was discussed, though Dubcek and other communist leaders emphasised that this would not happen for many years.
Describe the Reactions to Dubcek’s Reforms in Czechoslovakia
-Dubcek’s reforms were met with great enthusiasm by the Czech people but they were much less popular with Moscow.
-Dubcek was careful to assure Moscow that Czechoslovakia would remain in the Warsaw Pact and was a loyal ally of the Soviet Union.
-Brezhnev became the Soviet leader in 1968 and was a lot more hard line in his views that Khrushchev.
-He was worried that the Czech reforms would set a dangerous example to other Warsaw Pact countries.
-At this time, Romania was refusing to attend Warsaw Pact meetings and the Yugoslavian leader, Tito refused to accept control from Moscow.
Describe Brezhnev’s Response to the ‘Prague Spring’
-Throughout the months after Dubcek became leader, Brezhnev remained in contact urging him not to endanger communism in Czechoslovakia by going too far with his reforms.
-He also ordered Warsaw Pact troops to carry out manoeuvres in Czechoslovakia to threaten Dubcek.
-When Dubcek invited Ceausescu of Romania and Tito of Yugoslavia to Prague for talks, Brezhnev decided to take action.
Describe the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia
-On 20 August 1968, 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and ended the ‘Prague Spring’.
-Brezhnev had ordered the Czech army to remain in its barracks just in case it tried to fight back.
-The Czech people could do little against such a powerful force, though there were individual acts of bravery, such as blocking roads or attacking individual tanks.
-The invading forces were told that they had been invited to help restore law and order by the Czech government. They were shocked by the hostility they encountered.
Describe the Consequences of the ‘Prague Spring’ and the Soviet Invasion for Czechoslovakia
-Dubcek was arrested and sent to Moscow and ordered to reverse his reforms. Then in 1969, he was dismissed from office and replaced by Gustav Husak.
-Husak was a hardliner loyal to Moscow and introduced a clampdown in which over a thousand Czechs were arrested.
-For the next 20 years, the country was firmly under Soviet approved communist rule.
Describe the Brezhnev Doctrine
-To many in the West, Brezhnev’s actions looked like an aggressive attempt to dominate another European country.
-However, the Soviet Union justified the invasion as a necessity to protect the unity of the communist movement in Europe.
-On 26 September 1968, the Soviet paper, Pravda, set out what was to become known as the Brezhnev doctrine.
-Brezhnev said that the actions of any individual communist country affected all communist countries.
-So, if one country’s actions threaten other countries, then it was the duty of those countries to take steps to stop those actions.
-Effectively, all communist countries would be prevented from introducing reforms to make their country more liberal.
Describe the Consequences of the ‘Prague Spring’ and the Soviet Invasion for Other Communist Countries
-Yugoslavia and Romania condemned the Soviet invasion, straining relations between their governments and Moscow.
-The Communist Parties of Italy and France cut links to Moscow.
-The governments of East Germany and Poland welcomed Brezhnev’s actions. They could feel more secure knowing that they would not be challenged by reformers in their own countries.
-The suppression of the ‘Prague Spring’ led to greater Soviet control of the members of the Warsaw Pact.
-This was reinforced by the Brezhnev doctrine which emphasised that members of the Warsaw Pact were under the close control of the Soviet Union.
Describe the Consequences of the ‘Prague Spring’ and the Soviet Invasion for the USA
-The Soviet Union saw that while the USA might make protests, it would not take direct action to oppose the Soviet Union in Europe.
-At this time, the USA was involved in a costly war in North Vietnam and was also beginning to adopt a policy of detente with the Soviet Union.
-Other countries saw that the USA was keen to criticise the Soviet Union but much less prepared to take action.
Describe the Consequences of the ‘Prague Spring’ and the Soviet Invasion for the International Community
-The USA and other Western governments were outraged by the invasion and many of them made strong protests to the Soviet Union.
-There was an attempt to pass a formal resolution condemning the invasion in the United Nations but this was vetoed by the Soviet Union.
