Prague Spring Flashcards
Who replaced Khrushchev in 1964?
Leonid Brezhnev
Who became Czechoslovakia’s leader in January 1968?
Alexander Dubček
What caused the Czech demonstrations?
Poor standards of living.
lack of civil rights.
Economy in recession.
They wanted reform.
What reforms did Dubček propose?
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
He wanted “socialism with a human face”
How did the USSR respond to the situation in Czechoslovakia?
Brezhnev feared that the reforms would be copied by other Eastern European countries and would result in the destruction of the iron curtain.
He and other communist leaders wrote to Dubček to express their concerns. He assured them of his commitment to socialism and guaranteed Czechoslovakia would remain in the Warsaw Pact.
Despite this, Brezhnev ordered 400,000 troops into Czechoslovakia in response to a letter from 4 Czechoslovak communists asking for help.
How did Dubček respond to the invasion?
Urged his people not to resist the invasion with violence, instead use passive resistance.
He was summoned to Moscow, and when he returned he announced that Prague spring had ended. He resigned a few months later.
