We explain what the Prague Spring reforms were in Czechoslovakia and why they ended with the Soviet invasion.
The population tried to stop the advance of Soviet tanks in order to defend Dubcek’s government.
What was the Prague Spring?
The “Prague Spring” is a series of reforms promoted by the government of Alexandr Dubcek in 1968 with the aim of liberalize Czechoslovak politics, economy and societyThe measures sought to create a “socialism with a human face” and included the expansion of freedom of the press, the authorization to create new political parties and the increased circulation of consumer goods.
Dubcek’s reforms received great support from the population, which, with the greatest freedom of expression, began to questioning the supremacy of the USSR over the Czechoslovak governmentHowever, this government program was questioned by other communist countries and divided the socialist bloc that made up the Warsaw Pact.
Yugoslavia and Romania supported the changes initiated by Dubcek. On the other hand, Poland and Hungary were against the changes because they feared that the status quo of communist society would be destabilised and uncontrollable situations would develop. Finally, the USSR mobilised the Warsaw Pact troops and invaded Czechoslovakia.
The Prague Spring ended the repression of the reformist government. The armies of the Warsaw Pact entered Czechoslovakia on the night of 20 August 1968 and took control of the country by the next day.
They imposed a new government headed by Gustav Husakwho was a politician loyal to the directives of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Alexander Dubcek and his team of ministers were forced to sign a document of loyalty to the CPSU and withdraw from political activity.
Frequent questions
What happened in the Prague Spring?
The Prague Spring was a period of political and social openness in Czechoslovakia in 1968. Since the beginning of the Cold War, the country had been governed by the Czechoslovak Communist Party (controlled by the Soviet Union) and political and social freedoms were limited. In 1968, Aleksandr Dubcek’s government approved the creation of new parties and lifted press censorship. Czechoslovak society enjoyed a freedom that was taken away a few months later by the invasion of foreign communist troops.
When was the Prague Spring?
The Prague Spring began with the reforms initiated by Aleksandr Dubcek on 5 March 1968 and ended eight months later with the invasion of foreign communist troops on 21 August 1968.
Who promoted the Prague Spring?
The Prague Spring was initiated by the government of Aleksandr Dubcek, a communist politician who sought to establish in Czechoslovakia a “socialism with a human face”, combining the centralized economic planning of communism with greater political, economic and social freedoms.
Why did the Prague Spring end?
In the context of the Cold War, the reforms promoted by Dubcek during the Prague Spring were viewed negatively by the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc states. These countries feared that liberal reforms would trigger a general revolutionary wave against communist governments. Therefore, they decided to intervene in the Czechoslovak government by force and overthrow Dubcek’s government.
Background of the Prague Spring
In the context of the Cold War, Czechoslovakia was a socialist country belonging to the Eastern Bloc and was a member of the Warsaw Pact. Like the rest of the communist countries, its government was in the hands of the local Communist Party but He was closely linked to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) which exerted greater or lesser influence on the different governments of the Eastern Bloc.
Since the early 1960s, Czechoslovakia was experiencing an economic recessionThe Soviet industrialization model had not generated benefits in the country.
During that decade, the need to establish some reforms was raised within the Czechoslovak Communist Party (KSC) that governed the country. to regain national autonomy in the face of the supremacy of the USSRHowever, there was also an immobilist stance, led by the party’s general secretary, Antonin Novotny, which managed to impose itself for years and prevented any possibility of reforms.
The reformist stance spread to various social sectors, especially among intellectual groups. At the 4th Congress of Czechoslovak Writers in 1967, various figures from the Czechoslovak intelligentsia openly protested against the dictatorial practices of the party.
Novotny responded by calling in the writers’ association and the Ministry of Culture. This repressive reaction by Novotny precipitated an unexpected changeLeonid Brezhnev (the leader of the USSR) did not support his repressive policies and, faced with growing opposition within the KSC, Novotny was dismissed. In January 1968, a new leadership of the Communist Party led by Alexander Dubcek came to power.
The Prague Spring reforms
Dubcek’s reforms were supported by the majority of the Czechoslovak population.
Dubcek was the first Slovak to come to power in Czechoslovakia. Along with measures to recognise Slovak nationality, The Dubcek government undertook a series of reforms with the aim of liberalizing Czechoslovak politics, society and economy. One of his first actions was the lifting of censorship on 5 March 1968. This event is often regarded as the beginning of the “Prague Spring”.
In April, the KSC Central Committee approved the “Action Program” which synthesized the principles on which the KSC should be based. “Socialism with a human face” was the new political direction advocated by Dubcek and his team of ministersAlong with relative economic liberalization, a broad reform program was proposed that covered different aspects.
In the political field, the free creation of socialist political parties was approved (until then only the KSC was legal), national equality between Czechs and Slovaks, and the release of political prisoners. In the social field The right to strike, the free creation and association of independent unions, religious freedom and freedom of expression were recognized..
In economic terms, the reforms sought to generate a greater movement of consumer goods, without abandoning the socialist scheme of state planning.
On the other hand, in terms of foreign policy, the changes were relatively modest. Dubcek publicly declared his loyalty to the Eastern Bloc, the USSR and the Warsaw Pact. However, in parallel he sought to improve his ties with the Western powers.
Opposition to the Prague Spring reforms
Although the population tried to stop the invasion, foreign troops took over the Czechoslovak government.
The Eastern Bloc countries had different views on Dubcek’s reforms. The “Prague Spring” was viewed with apprehension in the USSR as its leaders feared losing their influence over the Czechoslovak government.
Yugoslavia and Romania argued that each country should establish a socialism that suited its needs and opposed the intervention of the Czechoslovak government. Hungary and Poland, on the other hand, feared that the fervor of the population would spread and become an uncontrollable wave. Therefore, they declared that the reforms should be stopped, even through a military invasion if necessary.
Brezhnev, visiting Prague in February 1968, forced Dubcek to change his speech. Pressure on the Czechoslovak leadership was manifold and growing. The CPSU tried to get Dubcek and his ministers to slow down the reform process.
In July 1968, the leaders of the Warsaw Pact members, meeting in the Polish capital, addressed a collective letter to the Czechoslovak party in which They demanded the cancellation of the reforms and his presence at the next meeting. Dubcek refused to accept the letter and travel to Moscow.
In August 1968, Dubcek went a step further and published new statutes for the KSC. These sought to limit the party’s influence on the state government apparatus and on the political, economic and social administration of the country.
Faced with this situation, the Warsaw Pact countries sent their troops to the border with Czechoslovakia. On the night of 20 August, more than 20,000 troops and 2,000 tanks entered the country and began the invasion. The population rose up against the intervention and tried to stop it. But by the next day, foreign troops had taken control of the country.
The end of the Prague Spring
After the troops of The Warsaw Pact countries will take control of the countryThe first measure was to abolish freedom of the press and reinstate censorship. Then, the reformist government was dismissed. Dubcek and his ministers were forced to sign a protocol of loyalty to the directives of the CPSU. In addition, they had to withdraw from all political or social activities.
The foreigners then began a process known as “normalization of Czechoslovakia,” through which A new government obedient to the supremacy of the USSR was established and aligned with the policies of the Warsaw Pact. The new government was to abolish the new reforms and reestablish one-party communist rule.
In April 1969, politician Gustav Husak officially replaced Dubcek as party leader. The new government purged the KSC of dissident politicians, reformists or those who had in any way supported Dubcek’s initiatives. Over the next two decades, Husak turned Czechoslovakia into one of the most loyal countries to the USSR.
The Czechoslovak experience of The Prague Spring had a huge impact on the rest of the Eastern Bloc countries.. The supremacy of the USSR was finally consolidated under the leadership of Brezhnev and his doctrine of intervention and control of the politics of the communist countries. On the other hand, no country in the socialist bloc attempted to reform again…