Prague Spring

From Freepedia

This article refers to a period of history of Czechoslovakia in 1968. For the music festival of the same name, see Prague Spring International Music Festival.

The Prague Spring (Czech: Pražské jaro) was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia starting January 5 1968, and running until August 20 of that year when the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies (except for Romania) invaded the country.

Contents 1 Situation in Czechoslovakia 2 Soviet policy 3 Occupation of Czechoslovakia 4 Impact of the occupation 5 Origin of the term 6 See also

Situation in Czechoslovakia

Since the middle of the 1960s Czechs and Slovaks showed increasing signs of rejection of the existing regime. This change had been reflected by reformist elements within the communist party in installing Alexander Dubček as party leader. Dubček's reforms of the political process inside Czechoslovakia, which he referred to as "Socialism with a human face", did not represent a complete overthrow of the old regime, as was the case in Hungary in 1956. Dubček's changes had broad support from the society, including the working class. However, it was still seen by the Soviet leadership as a threat to their hegemony over other states of the Eastern Bloc and to the very safety of the Soviet Union. Czechoslovakia was in the middle of the defensive line of the Warsaw bloc and its possible defection to the enemy was unacceptable during the Cold War.

Unlike other countries of Central and Eastern Europe the communist take-over in Czechoslovakia in 1948, although as brutal as elsewhere, was a genuine popular movement and reform in the country did not lead to the convulsions seen in Hungary. However a sizeable minority in the ruling party, especially at higher leadership levels, was opposed to any lessening of the party's grip on society and they actively plotted with the leadership of the Soviet Union to overthrow the reformers. This group watched in horror as calls for multi-party elections and other reforms began echoing throughout the country.

Soviet policy

The policy of the USSR to enforce Soviet-style governments among its satellite states, through military force if needed, became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine, named after Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, who was first to publicly declare it, although it was in use since Stalin's times. This doctrine remained in force until it was replaced by the "Sinatra Doctrine" under Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s.

Soviet leadership first tried to stop or limit the changes in Czechoslovakia through a series of negotiations. As their attempts failed they started to prepare a military alternative.

Occupation of Czechoslovakia

The period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia came to an end in 1968 when 200,000–600,000 Warsaw Pact troops and 5,000–7,000 tanks invaded the country, on the night from 20 to 21 August (hence the difference in the date of invasion in various sources). Most of the Czechoslovakian army, 11 of 12 divisions, following secret orders from the Warsaw Pact, had been deployed on the West German frontier. The invasion came on the eve of the congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia which was expected to entrench the reformers and decisively defeat the neo-Stalinist rump. In fact the Czechoslovak communists did meet, in a factory, and endorsed the reform programme, but by then the facts-on-the-ground rendered the congress pointless.

Impact of the occupation

Only vocal criticism from the democratic countries followed — the reality of nuclear standoff in the Cold War meant the western countries were in no position to challenge Soviet military force in Central Europe.

The occupation was followed by a wave of emigration (estimate: 70,000 immediately, 300,000 in total [1]), typically of highly qualified people. Western countries allowed these people to stay and work without complications.

The events of the Prague Spring deepened the disillusion of many Western leftists with Leninist theory and contributed to the growth of Eurocommunist ideas in the western communist parties — leading to the eventual dissolution or break-up of many of these parties.

A decade later, the Prague Spring lent its name to an analogous period of Chinese political liberalization known as the Beijing Spring.

Origin of the term

The term Prague Spring was coined by Western media after the event became known worldwide, and was eventually adopted in Czechoslovakia itself.

See also

• Czechoslovakia: 1948 - 1968 (provides further details)
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Novel by Milan Kundera set during this period and the following crackdown.)