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The Prague Spring - Presentation
The Prague Spring - Presentation
→ Pre Nazi leader Edvard Beneš was re-instated. He wanted to make Czechoslovakia
democratic and progressive
→ Naturally, disputes over post war economic recovery heightened conflicts and multiple
protests took place → Non Communists resigned, fled or were killed.
→ The economy was further nationalized and pressured to sign a constitution that would
give the Kremlin unprecedented powers, Benes resigned.
→ WIN for Stalin → set up intelligence network + brought Czeck under USSR rule.
⬇️
Replaced by Antonin Novotny ( fierce communist ⚠️ + Stalinist 🤮 )
WHY DID THE PRAGUE SPRING TAKE PLACE?
1
2. POLITICAL DISCONTENT: Repressive policies like press censorship + no freedom of
speech → Communist control was strengthening
INFO BOX ‼️
Socialist Realism - writers and journalists could
only portray socialism in a positive light.
3. HOPE OF US SUPPORT: Czecks thought the US would support their rebellion → gave
them the confidence to riot (discussed below in detail)
People wanted a “Socialist System with a Human Face” → better allocation of resources
+ greater personal freedom
↘️
peaceful protests
→ Novotny asked the Soviet Premier Brezhnev to intervene to maintain law and order but
he ❌ refused ❌
→ Novotny had to cut back on his power (manipulation by the USSR, in my opinion :p) and
Alexander Dubceck* rose to power.
INFO BOX ‼️
Who is Dubceck? 🤔
●
⬇️
→ moderate communist (although he pretends he’s a macho fascist)
2
SO IF EVERYTHING WAS GREAT, WHY WERE THERE PROTESTS?
SIMPLE! Communists were threatened; the USSR and other Warsaw Pact allies saw the
granting of greater liberties as putting the whole region at the risk of 😰 democratic
infection 😰
⚠️ BULLY ALERT ⚠️ Similar to Emre Nagy, Dubcek’s reforms and ideas were not
anti-comunist since the Communist party still existed and would lead in Czechoslovakia,
but according to the hardliners the acknowledgement of Trade Unions and clubs like k231
(former political prisoners) were clear threats.
→ At every meeting, Dubceck assured the Soviet Bloc that Czechoslovakia would not leave
the Warsaw pact and remain loyal. He also claimed that all the reforms were within the
framework of communism.
→ LAST MEETING - Brezhnev tried to coerce Dubcek into reversing his reforms and Dubcek
promised to do so but continued with the liberalization.
*remember when we talked about how he pretended to be a hardcore dictator, but really
he was just a soft mediocre communist?* 🤭
→ States like Romania and Albania chose to side with Dubcek, and refused to participate.
Later they withdrew from the Warsaw Pact as well.
3
SO WHERE WAS 🇺🇲 USA 🇺🇲 IN ALL OF THIS?
● The USA accepted that this was taking place in the Soviet sphere of influence.
President, Lyndon Johnson, did not want to provoke Moscow and jeopardize
improving relations.
● The USA’s resources were occupied with the Vietnam War.
● There had been widespread international criticism over Moscow's actions
internationally and from the Eastern bloc. Interestingly, the USA showed the first
instance of their disapproval in the UN by giving a diplomatic warning to the USSR
that if a similar invasion in Romania took place, the USA would be forced to take
action.
1. 300,000 people fled the country, while the rest were forced to resign.
INFO BOX ‼️
In 1969 a student named Jan Palach set himself
on fire and died a few days later. His funeral
became a major demonstration against the
occupation
2. It led to tensions with Yugoslavia (Tito) and rioting in Poland. Tito and Ceausescu
found themselves in agreement with Beijing. This was, in fact, a formative moment
that became known as Eurocommunism or neo-communism.
3. It worsened the USSR's relationship with China so much that China agreed to open
lines of communication with the USA and a detente* became even more important
for the USSR.
INFO BOX ‼️
WHAT WAS THE MOSCOW PROTOCOL?
4
● Soviet troops would stay in Czechoslovakia for the time being, and
leaders had to agree to tighter controls over political and cultural
activities.
● The 14th Party Congress was declared invalid, and authoritarian
communists were thus able to occupy positions of power.
● Czechoslovakia was proclaimed a federal republic, with two autonomous
units—the Czech Lands (Bohemia and Moravia) forming the Czech
Socialist Republic and Slovakia the Slovak Socialist Republic,
respectively—each with national parliaments and governments.