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: