Prague Spring 1968

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Prague Spring1968
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Background Social/Political

• -Antonin Novotny had been President of the
  Czechoslovakian Communist Party since 1957
• -Known for his plodding, taking orders nature,
  Novotnys policies always tried to walk the
  middle line between the reformers and
  conservatives in the state
• -This proved to be futile because to reformers he
  was an opposing figure and the conservatives
  thought he made too many concessions

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Background Social/Political

• -Social unrest began in Czechoslovakia because of
  the Party not addressing the issue of Stalins
  despotism as well as not rectifying past
  injustices (Clementis, Slansky trial)
• -Literature made major developments in the state,
  with much literary cannonade being directed
  against Novotny and his collaborators
• -In the mid 60s Novotny was able to reach an
  agreement with the intellectuals, with the
  censors becoming more tolerant, and more freedom
  of expression being allowed
• -The opening of the Czechoslovakia to tourists
  and allowing the Czechs and Slovaks to go abroad
  allowed for greater exposure to Western ideas and
  consumer goods, allowing for the seeds of
  discontent to be sown
• -Prague also began to develop in the 60s as the
  hippy/beatnik capital of Eastern Europe, with
  increased social consciousness and need for
  national autonomy being expressed
• ---------
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/155500.stm
  

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Background Social/Political

• -Novotnys control began to slip with the poor
  handling of a student protest by the Communist
  Party in March 1968, Ludvik Svoboda replaced him
  as president
• -Slovakian Alexander Dubeck came into power as
  First Secretary after the party called the need
  for change and restoration of the nations
  confidence in them
• -With Dubeck as First Secretary, he implemented
  an Action Programme with included
  liberalizations including the freedom of the
  press, emphasizing consumer goods as well as
  having a more democratic multi-party government
• -Dubeck wanted these liberalizations to proceed
  under the governments direction, but there was a
  lot of popular pressure to implement reforms,
  with Social Democrat beginning to form a separate
  party
• -Conservatives in the party called for more
  repressing measures, while Dubeck advised a
  moderate approach and emphasis on Party leadership

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Background Economic

• -Sovietization of Czech economy disastrous
• -Before becoming a part of the Soviet Union,
  Czechoslovakians were known for their consumer
  goods after the war and the USSR, became the
  processing appendage of the Soviet economy
• -Before Soviets took over, Czechoslovakia had
  been among the wealthiest of Eastern European
  states
• -In 60s, commodities in decline, standard of
  living lower, caused discontent
• -Industry grossly maladjusted in terms of its
  home and foreign markets insufficient,
  mismanagement problems
• -Citizens upset over the lower living standards,
  the collapsing industries, scarcity
  (implementations of meatless Thursdays etc.)
• -After Dubeck came to power, Action Programme
  promised economic reforms

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Evolution Social

• -Citizens had renewed hope in the 1968 Olympics
  (Ice Hockey), sports allowed the people to gather
  and cheer for their national team (national
  pride) wanted to defeat Soviet team because of
  Soviet invasion the Czechoslovakian team won the
  Soviets in the first round, celebration? there
  was finally a way for the people to openly
  express their sentiments celebrations led to
  riots against Soviet military, suppressed by
  Soviet forces during the period of
  normalization, Czechoslovakians saw hockey games
  as a way to protest Soviet invasion
• -During the Warsaw Invasion, around 80 were
  killed and hundreds were wounded
• -Political martyrs were commonly seen in April
  1968
• -Following the crisis, a wave of emigation
  occurred, most of those involved were highly
  educated or highly qualified

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Evolution Political

• -Dubcek wanted to establish a more liberal
  version of socialism
• -Was the Warsaw Pact invasion (supported by the
  Brezhnev Doctrine), Soviets wanted to suppress
  the revival of a liberal socialism
  (Czechoslovakic Social Democrat Party) in fear
  that the ideology would spread to the Ukraine and
  the USSR
• -Bratislava Declaration? the Soviet Union made
  her stance clear by declaring that military
  intervention would be immediate if any satellite
  country decides to install a multiparty system
• -Brezhnev Doctrine? no country was allowed to
  leave the Warsaw Pact as each country is
  responsible to the Soviet Bloc, used as a
  justification for the invasion of Czechoslovakia
  1
• -Alexander Dubcek was arrested following the 650,
  000 2 troop invasion of the Warsaw Pact and
  communist leaders restored into power
• ---------
• 1 Ouimet, Matthew The Rise and Fall of the
  Brezhnev Doctrine in Soviet Foreign Policy.
  University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill
  and London. 2003.
• 2 http//www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/timeline/
  68prague.html

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Consequences Social and Economic

• Immediate
• -After the invasion, people soon became apathetic
  and indifferent (even more so than before).
  People who resisted before now stopped caring
  They started to fear one another and stopped
  expressing themselves freely. It was a very
  demoralizing time1
• -About 150 000 Czechs and Slovaks fled, yet many
  stayed to continue their protests
• -Eastern Bloc troops remained in Czechoslovakia
  to ensure counter-revolutionary forces were
  quelled and stability was achieved2

• Long Term
• -During the normalization much construction
  focused on building pre-fabricating housing
  districts on outskirts of cities. The cement
  housing reflects unhappy time of the nation
  (impoverished state of citizens left many
  unsatisfied for what government have promised to
  do)
• --------
• 1 CNN Interview with Vaclav Havel (Czech
  President who was a prominent participant in
  Prague Spring) http//www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.wa
  r/episodes/14/interviews/havel/
• 2 Library Think Quest- Prague Spring 1968
  http//library.thinkquest.org/C001155/index1.htm

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Consequences Political

• Immediate
• -Leader such as Dubcek were apprehended and taken
  to Moscow at the end of the August invasion.
  Dubcek would be banned for 20 years1
• -Many people resisted, but the Soviets issued a
  protocol to ban all organizations which they saw
  to violate socialist principles2
• -Reformists tried to preserve some of their
  reform achievements, such as autonomy for
  Slovakia In October, the Czech National Assembly
  approved the law to create a Czechoslovak
  Federation (Czechoslovakia to be divided into two
  separate Czech and Slovak Republics) However, in
  March 1969, the Federal Assembly undermined the
  previous amendment, making state administration
  once again centralized. 3
• -Many political purges of occurred in 1969-1970,
  removing thousands from their jobs4
• ---------
• 1 RPs History Online- Prague Spring
  http//archiv.history.cz/history/history14.html
• 2 BBC News Europe Remember Prague Spring
  http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/155500.stm
  
• 3 RPs History Online
• 4 RP History Online

• Long Term
• -New Communist Government during the period of
  normalization (1970s and 80s) was one of the
  most repressive of all satellite states1
• -Opposition to Soviet Rule is pushed underground
• -Charter 77 (1977) signed. Opposition to the
  normalization occurring. Criticized government
  for being unable to implement the human rights
  provisions under the Constitution, as well as
  United Nations agreements2
• -Communists were ousted on November 24, 1989
  Dubcek became the chairman of the new
  administration of Czechoslovakia in what is known
  as the Velvet Revolution3
• ----------
• 1 RP History Online
• 2 RP History Online
• 3 BBC ON THIS DAY (1968) Russia brings winter
  to Prague Spring http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday
  /hi/dates/stories/august/21/newsid_2781000/2781867
  .stm

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