The Prague Spring 1968

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Before the Invasion

• 1918 WWI ended
• Austrian-Hungarian Empire Divided into
  Independent States Czechoslovak Republic
• 1935 Tomas Masaryk, firstman to hold presidency?
  Edvard Benes
• Edvard Benes? tried to implement democracy ? many
  problems including Nazism.
• Hitler demanded part of Czechoslovakia-Sudetenland
  ? Munich Agreement
• March 1939 Hitler took the rest of Czechoslovakia
• Stalin feared German attack ?non-aggression pact
  w/ Germany ?Germany attacked Poland anyways
• By end of WWI Czechoslovakia was liberated by
  Soviet and American forces
• 1945-48 Communists obtained political power in
  Czechoslovakia
• Govronment support of communism ?Munich agreement
  in1938

Tanks invading Prauge(Rezelman)
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Spring of 1968

• People became unhappy, voices were being heard
  ?Political Changes
• 1968 First Party Secretary of the Communist Party
  of Czechoslovakia ?Alexander Dubcek
• Alexander Dubcek followed the will of his people
  and threatened to spread his ideas of liberation
  to other socialist countries showed signs of
  independence?seen as a threat to Russia since
  Czech was one of its satellites?without Czech not
  as much power over East Europe? ?
• August 20-21st 1968, 200000 foreign soldiers and
  5000 tanks invaded Prague, all the Eastern Bloc
  countries except Romania invaded Czech (Olofsson)
• August 22nd over 1000 delegates disguised as
  workers went past Soviet troops to convene at the
  factory in Vysconay(outside Prague) (Wikipedia)
• Decided to hold 1 hour general strike
• Took place as planned but didnt really change
  anything yet

Turmoil in Prauge(Rempel)
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The Aftermath

• Pamphlets and flyers were handed out telling the
  czechs to resist peacefully also reaffirming
  loyalty to Dubcek
• Dubcek had been shipped doff to Moscow for
  negotiations about the countrys future
• Radio programs were broadcasted from secret
  transmitters within the radio building in Prague
• Graffiti in Russian was also very common
• This whole reform policy was commonly called
  process of normalization
• Troops remained in Czech to fight against any
  revolutionaries
• The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was made to
  suppress any signs of Democracy
• But was forced to surrender in December 9, 1989
  The Velvet Revolution
• Ideological Differences

Burning Bus in Prauge(Brinton 2)
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Alexander Dubcek (ZAUJÍMAVOSTI)
Society under Stalin in Czech (Hewett)
Edvard Benes (vom)
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Brinton, William M. "Prague 1968" Picture 2, 5
www.european-history.com/ prague_spring.html 1999
An Abridged History of Europe Olofsson, SamThe
Prauge Spring 1968 http//www.thinkquest.org/libr
ary/site_sum.html?tnameC001155urlC001155/index1
.htm Think Quest Rempel, Gerhard "Prague Sring
1968" MacGary's Web 1998 http//mars.acnet.wnec.ed
u/grempel/courses/world/gifs/prag68.jpg Rezelman,
David "Fighting in the Streets"
http//www.temple.edu/history/praguestreets.gif
1968 Washigton Post "vom ns-mustergau zur
verfolgten minderheit"http//www.copyriot.com/sin
istra/news/pics03b/benes02.gif Wikipedia, The
free Encyclopidia Prauge Spring
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring May
2004 www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/.../
NMU20a2_course.htm ZAUJÍMAVOSTI
http//www.rep-eslovaquia.org/fotos_comunes/alexan
der_duceck_ori.jpg
Tanks taking over (Brinton) 5
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Test Questions

• Q Who invaded Czech?
• A All of the Eastern Bloc except Romania
• Q Who was the leader of the resistance?
• A Alexander Dubcek