In 1945, Czechoslovakia went from one dictatorship to another when Russian troops liberated the country from Nazi control. From 1948 onwards, Czechoslovakia existed as a communist state suffocated by censorship and oppression of the Soviet regime. However, a period of liberalisation and reform in the 1960s gave hope that things might be about to change, until one terrible night in August 1968 when Soviet tanks rolled through the streets of Prague, crushing any hope of further progress.
I do not proclaim myself to be an expert in Czech history or posses any particular insight except for that which I have perceived through speaking to people, reading and watching films. In this blog I simply attempt to give an overview (it was meant to be shorter than it ended up, promise!) of the events in 1968 Czechoslovakia for those who are, as I was, unaware of what exactly happened. I've started quite far back to give the most context possible as to the circumstances which led to the invasion of 1968.
50s and 60s - Party paranoia and economic failings
The origins of the Prague Spring can be traced back as far as 1956 when a shift began in the success of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia's (CPCz) ability to control the public mood and maintain economic growth. The 1956 Czechoslovak Writers' Union Conference was seen to be a great threat to the Party's ideals, viewed as a venue for dissident and anti-regime opinions to be circulated, especially in light of the executions and show trials in Hungary at the time.
In response to this perceived threat, the Party began a process of 'screening' civil servants in order to weed out anybody with anti-Party tendencies. In total, around 50,000 were screened and many moved into lower positions or forced to retire.
The CPCz were especially concerned with the intellectual elite, who they believed to posses strong influence over public opinion. In light of this, members of the Czechoslovak Writers' Union as well as leading musicians and others were forced to swear allegiance to the party. Similarly, the literary magazine Květen was banned as it was perceived to be a mouthpiece for dissident young people.
The Czechoslovak Commmunist Party also felt their ability to control the propaganda machine was beginning to wane, with increased numbers of ordinary people now watching television from Austria and Bavaria, accessing for the first time Western fashion, music and ideas.
However, the five year plan did not have the desired effect, with crippling coal shortages and power cuts inhibiting both home and work life. By 1963, the Czechoslovak economy had shrunk by 2%, the first time the country had not experienced growth since 1945.
Mid 1960s - Disenchantment with the regime and desire for change
In the mid 1960s, thorough reforms of the economy were implemented by First Minister Novotný's government. Increased democratisation and deregulation of the economy not only improved Czechoslovakia's financial situation, but also led to greater liberalisation on a social level. With a loosening of censorship rules on television and radio, frank and honest discussions were taking place, with the Communist Party's less than perfect past receiving regular exposure and critique.
Across the country people were beginning to question the Party's past conduct and present shortcomings, with many Slovaks in particular feeling frustrated by the discrimination they received on a state level, often resulting in dismissal from public posts without reason.
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| Milan Kundera |
The communist government was left virtual powerless in the face of this widespread public defiance and break with socialist ideals. Social revolution was in air as 1967 became 1968.
1968 - Dubček and the Prague Spring
What had started in the mid 60s continued into 1968, with Czechs and Slovaks increasingly aware of the raw deal they were receiving in their country. It became more and more apparent that Czechoslovakia was lagging behind other Communist nations in terms of economic advancement and the cold truth about the Party's oppressive and brutal regime was filtering into the public consciousness. The Prague Spring was less about militant action and or dramatic uprisings and more about social deviance and a yearning for a life beyond the cold restraints of the Iron Curtain.
In a climate of radical social change, daily revelations in the media, and new publications from disaffected intellectuals; Alexander Dubček was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Mounting pressure on Novotný for his clumsy handling of the Slovak question eventually lead to his downfall (he was also replaced as President by Ludvík Svoboda in March 1968).
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| Alexander Dubček |
Naturally, neither Soviet leaders nor Czechoslovakia's communist neighbours were pleased with the events of early 1968 and Dubček's regime was not strong in the face of increased Soviet scrutiny. In July, events escalated and Soviet troops were positioned along Czechoslovak borders in the Western part of the USSR, Poland, East Germany and Hungary. The movement of these troops was headline news on a daily basis in Czechoslovakia, as public fear increased about what still seemed an unlikely invasion.
Two sets of talks were held. The first took place in Čierna and Tisou where Dubček pledged allegiance to the Party and promised to uphold socialist values. The second set were held in Bratislava on the 3rd August where the Bratislava declaration was signed which agreed to fight bourgeois and anti-socialist forces as well as anyone who advocated multi-party politics. The recently granted freedoms in the press were also taken away.
Public reaction to the talks was almost universally negative, with regular demonstrations taking place in Prague by those who wanted to know what the real concessions made by the CPCz to placate the Soviets were. Dubček tried to play for time and stalled the implementation of Soviet demands. This was met with contempt in Moscow who had finally lost patience with the CPCz.
20th August 1968 - The Invasion
With troops already in place along the border, all that remained was for the Soviets to legitimise an invasion. By presenting the events of the previous eight months as a 'counter revolution', the Soviets convinced President Svoboda to agree to the military intervention. The invasion was met with little to no response from either the reformists or the Soviet-controlled Czechoslovak army who effectively had no power to intervene.
On the night of the 20th-21st August 1969 forces from five Warsaw Pact countries - the USSR, East Germany, Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary - rolled into Czechoslovakia. In total, 200,000 troops and 200 tanks were deployed with the airport taken first and by morning the entire country was under occupation.
The invasion met with much civil resistance, with people throwing themselves in front of tanks or trying to persuade the forces to return home. Imaginative methods were used to inconvenience foreign troops, for example sign posts and street names were removed to confuse and delay the invading forces.
Resistance was seen across the whole country and in many cases the Soviet troops opened fire on civilians, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. The biggest clashes were seen in the centre of Prague around the Czechoslovak radio building which continued to broadcast news. Perhaps the most famous act of resistance was that of Jan Palach, who set himself on fire in Prague's Wenceslas Square in protest against the renewed suppression of freedom of expression.
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| Memorial to Jan Palach in Wenceslas Square |
The year after the invasion, Dubček was replaced as First Minster by Gustáv Husák who oversaw a period of 'normalisation' which reversed most or all of Dubček's economic and social policies. Reformist or liberal thinking Party members were expelled and all commentary or criticism of the regime was forbidden. The only enduring legacy of the Dubček reforms was the federalisation of Czechoslovkia which saw the separate Czech and Slovak Socialist Republic remain as they were.
Sources
A History of the Czech Lands - Pánek, Tůma et alii
http://www.lib.umich.edu/soviet-invasion-czechoslovakia/pg1.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/02/magazine/international-prague-s-spring-into-capitalism.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/czechoslovakia2.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/02/magazine/international-prague-s-spring-into-capitalism.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/czechoslovakia2.htm
Images courtesy of
http://www.soviet-empire.com/ussr/viewtopic.php?f=130&t=32940
http://electronpencil.com/2013/05/03/the-pencil-today-364/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/172727/Alexander-Dubcek
http://www.prague-life.com/prague/milan-kundera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Palach
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