Czechoslovakia & the Prague Spring Flashcards

All 15 cards in this deck

What was the Prague Spring (1968)?

Dubček's reforms in Czechoslovakia that loosened communist control; they encouraged further opposition, such as the forming of the Social Democrat party demanding even more reform.

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

The USSR's declared right to intervene, with military force if necessary, in its satellite states if events threatened the security of the Eastern Bloc.

True or false? Dubček was executed after Soviet and Warsaw Pact troops entered Czechoslovakia in 1968.

False. He was removed from power and replaced, and Czechoslovakia remained a one-party communist state and a loyal member of the Warsaw Pact.

Give two of Dubček's reforms in Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Any two of: relaxed censorship and freer speech; freedom to travel to the West; less central control of the economy; more power for trade unions. Dubček still promised Czechoslovakia would stay in the Warsaw Pact.

What happened in Czechoslovakia on 20–21 August 1968?

Around half a million Warsaw Pact troops, led by the USSR, invaded to end the Prague Spring. Most Czechoslovaks resisted without violence, through street protests, and Dubček was taken to Moscow.

Who replaced Dubček as leader of Czechoslovakia in April 1969?

Gustáv Husák, a hardliner loyal to Moscow, who reversed the reforms and returned Czechoslovakia to strict Soviet-style communism.

What happened when the UN tried to act over the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968?

A Security Council resolution condemning the invasion and calling for Soviet troops to leave was vetoed by the USSR, so the UN took no action.

What phrase did Dubček use to describe his reforms in Czechoslovakia in 1968?

'Socialism with a human face' — communism kept, but with greater freedom.

Give one reason the USSR was alarmed by the Prague Spring.

Any one of: the reforms might spread to Poland, Romania or other satellites; a weakened Warsaw Pact; the belief that reform would damage the communist system as a whole.

What reason did the USSR give for invading Czechoslovakia in 1968?

That Czechoslovak communists had invited it in to defend socialism from counter-revolution; Western newspapers and cartoons mocked this as an excuse for Soviet brutality.

Who was Jan Palach?

A Czech student who set himself on fire in Prague in January 1969 in protest at the Soviet occupation; he died and became a symbol of resistance.

True or false? The USSR acted alone, with no other communist country involved, in crushing the Prague Spring in 1968.

False. Troops from other Warsaw Pact states, including Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, took part, and Warsaw Pact leaders had already put diplomatic pressure on Dubček.

Who was Alexander Dubček?

The reforming First Secretary of Czechoslovakia's Communist Party from January 1968, whose reforms became known as the Prague Spring.

How did Romania and Albania respond to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968?

Both refused to take part, and Albania left the Warsaw Pact soon afterwards — showing the invasion divided the communist bloc.

How did President Johnson respond to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968?

He condemned it but took no military action, and he called off a planned summit with Brezhnev, which delayed the start of arms-limitation talks.