Prague Spring, 1968 - stchistory.com Prague Spring.pdf · Prague Spring, 1968 Censorship relaxed...
Transcript of Prague Spring, 1968 - stchistory.com Prague Spring.pdf · Prague Spring, 1968 Censorship relaxed...
Q:CapitalofCzechRepublic
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Whatisthetitleoftoday’slesson?
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PragueSpring,1968
CzechoslovakiaCrisis:1968-69Aim:• UnderstandWHYDubcekintroducedreforminCzechoslovakia• Sovietresponse• AffectonInternationalRelations
KeyEvents:(RememberhowimportantchronologyisforQ2‘Narrative’)
1. January1968:DubcekbecomesleaderofCzechGovernment
2. April1968:‘PragueSpring’– Reformsbegin
3. August1968:SovietinvasionofCzechoslovakia
4. September1968:BrezhnevDoctrine
5. April1969:Dubcekdismissed
WhatcanwerememberaboutCzechoslovakiasofarinourCold
Warstory?
1948:Stalinsupportedacoupwhichremovednoncommunistsfrompower
1948:Also,establishedaproSovietcommunistgovernment
Securedthe‘BufferZone’
ThinkbacktoHungary,whatproblemsdidtheHungariansfacewithaSovietcontrolledgovernment?
Makealistfrommemory…
• RuledbySoviets• SecretPolicelimitingfreedoms• EconomyrunforSovietUnion• Fewconsumergoods• Nofreedomofspeech• Radio,TV,newspaperscensored• Governmentministers‘purged’• Lowstandardsofliving• Ledtoriots&protestsinthestreets
Czechproblems
“Socialismwithahumanface”
Fromthequoteshere,whatimpressionareyouformingaboutthenewCzechleader?
Alexander DubcekElectedin1968replacingtheunpopularNovotnyProSovietUnion,supportedbySovietUnionTaskedwithrestoringorderinCzechoslovakiaCommittedtoWarsawPactCommittedCommunist
“Socialismwithahumanface”
Followingthisspeech,howdoyouthinktheSovietUnionmightrespond?
ThemostimportantthingtomeisCommunismistherightwayforward.Idohoweverbelieveitshouldnotmakethepeoplemiserable!Theyshouldbeabletoenjoylife,expresstheirviewsandchallengethegovernmentwithoutfearofbeing
punishedbythegovernment!
WeneedtoofferSocialismwithahumanface!
Dubcek’sreformsbecameknownasthe‘PragueSpring’
PragueSpring,1968Censorshiprelaxedandcriticismofgovernmentisallowed
TradeUnionsgivenwiderpowersandgovernmentcontrolofindustryreduced
Morepowergiventoregional(local)government
TradewiththeWestwasincreased
Czechpeopleweregivengreaterfreedomtotravelabroad
Multipartyelectionssomethingthatcouldhappeninthefuture
MynameisBrezhnev,IamthenewleaderofUSSR.Idon’tcarethatDubcekwillremainintheWarsawPactandsaysheisloyaltoUSSR,IfIallowhisreforms,everyoneelseinthe
WarsawPactwillwantsimilarreforms!
We(USSR)arealreadystrugglingwithRomanianotattendingWarsawPactmeetingsandTitoofYugoslavianotaccepting
controlfromMoscow,justNO!
SummariseinyourbookwhatBrezhnev’sproblemiswithDubcek’sreforms
ThesereformsencouragedopponentsofCommunisminCzechoslovakia
CzechoslovakiaiscentraltotheEasternBlocandhadthestrongestIndustry.IfCzechoslovakialefttheWarsawPactitwouldsplittheEasternBlocintwo,alsoallowingNATOthechancetoinfluencetheEast
• BrezhnevurgedDubcektonotundermineCommunisminCzechoslovakia
• HeorderedmembersoftheWarsawPacttothreatenDubcek
• DubcekinvitedtheleaderofRomaniaandTito(Yugoslavia)toPraguefortalks…
HowdoyouthinkBrezhnevfeltatthispoint?
Whathappensnext…?
• 20th August1968,500,000WarsawPacttroopsinvadedCzechoslovakiaandendedthe‘PragueSpring’.
• Therewaslittleoppositiontotheinvasion.
• BrezhnevorderedtheCzecharmytostayintheirbarracksandnotfightback
• BrezhnevtoldtheWarsawPactmemberstheyhadbeeninvitedinwhichwasuntrue,theyweremetwithhostilitywhichshockedthem
Watchthefollowingclip(BurningBush):
WhatareyourthoughtsaboutthepeopleofCzechoslovakia
TheleadersofCzechoslovakia
TheSovietattitudetoCzechoslovakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDeXc5mxAXU
JanPalach becamethesymbolforSovietoppositionacrossEurope
WhatisthemessageoftheBrezhnevDoctrine?
XOutcome:
• Dubcekwasorderedtoreversehisreforms• DubcekwasarrestedandreplacedbyHusak,ahardlinerloyalto
Moscow• Husak clampeddownonCzechoslovakiaarresting1000+Czechs• Czehcoslovakia wasfirmlyunderSovietcontrol
BrezhnevDoctrine,26th September1968:
MyactionsmayhaveappearedanaggressiveattempttodominateanotherEuropeancountry,butIprefertolookatitasnecessaryto
protectCommunisminEurope.
Theactionsofanyindividualcommunistcountryaffectedallcommunistcountries,soifonecountry’sactionsthreatentheEasternBlocand
WarsawPact,thenitisthedutyofthosePactcountriestotakestepstostopthem,whichiswhyweenteredCzechoslovakia.
Also,ifacommunistcountryisthreatenedbyaCapitalistone,thenallcommuniststateshavetherighttointerveneusingforce
Basically,thathewillstopallcommunistcountriesfromintroducingreformsthatwillunderminecommunismandSovietinfluence
ArethereanysimilaritiestotheTrumanDoctrine?
Impact: