|
On January 5th, 1968, Alexander Dubcek became the leader of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia. Sensing a rare opportunity, he quickly initiated a series of reforms to bring about a socialist democracy, lifting censorship and freeing artists and other political prisoners, and beginning the Prague Spring. In April of that year, Dubcek launched an "Action Programme" of liberalizations that included increased freedom of the press, a switch of emphasis from industrial to consumer goods, and the possibility of a more democratic multi-party government, essentially ending Soviet control over the nation. It also planned the federalization of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic into two equal nations, Czech and Slovak. That spring and summer, liberalizations escalated, including anti-Soviet opinions appearing in the press, something unheard of previously. In addition, new unaffiliated political clubs were being created, whereas in most Soviet-controlled countries non-Party affiliations were strictly banned.
The Fall of Spring
All this changed on the morning of August 21st, 1968, when the Warsaw Pact invasion, led by the Soviet Union with forces from five Pact countries (Romania abstained), brought about normalization, disguised as massive rolling green machines bearing artillery. Dissidents and artists who had been allowed more freedom than ever before were now being persecuted or arrested, including the famous Plastic People of the Universe. Riots broke out, protests and violence were common, but eventually this subsided and the censorship and regulation of a communist system returned.
During the summer of 1968, primarily Brezhnev and the USSR leadership, and to some extent the other leaders of the Warsaw Pact countries were concerned about Dubcek's reforms, fearing that this idea of liberalization could spread to their countries and instigate rebellion (which did happen with the student riots in Gdansk in 1968), which would eventually oust the current leadership from power (and there’s nothing politicians fear more than losing their power – this hasn’t changed even today). They also feared weakening the position of the Communist Bloc during the height of the Cold War. Before the tanks rolled in in August, a series of negotiations were held between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia in July at Cierna nad Tisou, near the Slovak-Soviet border. At the meeting, Dubcek defended the reformist program while pledging commitment to the Warsaw Pact and COMECON, and Brezhnev initially agreed to compromise. The Czechoslovak Party delegates pledged their loyalty to the Warsaw Pact and promised to curb "antisocialist" tendencies and control the press and dissidents more effectively, while the Soviets agreed to withdraw their troops.
On August 3, representatives from the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia met in Bratislava and signed the Bratislava Declaration, which affirmed their fidelity to the Party’s ideologies and proletarian internationalism and declared an implacable struggle against "bourgeois" ideology and "antisocialist" enemies. Significantly, the Soviet Union declared its intention to intervene in a Warsaw Pact country if a "bourgeois" system (in theory anything but strict communist control) was ever established. After the Bratislava conference, Soviet troops left Czechoslovak territory but remained along Czechoslovak borders.
During the night of August 20th, between 5,000 to 7,000 tanks rolled in, accompanied by Warsaw Pact troops ranging from 200,000 to 600,000 in number. The tanks occupied the streets while the troops sought out the “antisocialist” elements, often with the use of police sticks and guns, leading to the death of 72 Czechs and Slovaks and hundreds of wounded. Dubcek himself, along with several of his colleagues, was arrested and taken to Moscow, where he miraculously escaped severe punishment in the end, and was even allowed to return to office. Protest (including a student who committed suicide by setting himself on fire) was accompanied by emigration, as hundreds of thousands of Czechs and Slovaks escaped to the West.
Even today debate ensues about the tragedy, as well and the necessity and legality of the invasion. The Soviets had claimed that they had been “invited” to intervene against the “antisocialist” elements threatening Czechoslovakia’s Communist Party. In reality, the invasion was a form of coup that had been in the works that whole summer, finally cumulating in the invasion. Meanwhile, resentment remains to this day towards the countries that supplied troops that invaded Czechoslovakia (though the five Pact countries had little choice in the matter). In April 1969, Gustav Husak replaced Dubcek as First Secretary, and the period of "normalization" began. Husak reversed Dubcek's reforms, purged the party of the reformists and dismissed from public offices and jobs those of professional and intellectual elites who openly expressed disagreement with the political turnaround, a situation which would remain in place until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. | | | |
 | | "Lou Reed founded the Velvets prior to 1969, way before the term "Velvet Revolution". However,the inspiration for the naming of the "Velvet Revolution" as such was indeed the Velvet Underground which was a very popular band among Czechoslovak students in the late 1960's. I read somewhere that Valclav Haven had something to do with coining the name Velvet Revolution because of the popularity of the band.
BUT, thank you, I never knew why Lou Reed named his band the Velvet Underground.
Marcia" | Marcia
United States
Apr.26.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "The Velvet Underground was not named after the Velvet Revolution. The band was named after a a paperback book entitled "The Velvet Underground" which is a book about S&M and which Lou Reed found in the street." | Jackson
United States
Mar.23.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "AS someone originally from the Czech Republic and who's father was a student during the Prague spring and eventual invasion I find it disturbing when someone says "it wasnt that bad" It is a dishonoring of those who died, those who were arrested and those like my father who were beaten fore dissent and then risked their lives to escape the country that they loved, but was broken by the senseless soviet machine. " | Nathan Jirka
United States
Nov.06.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "I find the comments by Ernie Crespin and "tell the truth" to be vile and disturbing. It is a shameful embarassment to the hard fought freedoms of our country." | Kris
United States
Sep.18.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Get your real story from people that were there not what you read from book or some old newspaper. it was hell i lived there. " | Get your real stories
Canada
Aug.26.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Tell the truth, are you for real?? I was 10 in 1968, my Grandparents & Father were born in (the former) Czechoslovakia (the Slovak side now)and believe me, the 'soviets' did not take care of that country. They kept it from flourishing.
That winter of 1969, my Gram, Mom and I went to a department store to get our relatives in Czechoslovakia some good winter coats because they couldn't get any. We bought them good wool coats, and spent $40.00 and some change on postage alone which was a lot of money in those days. They never got the coats.
You don't care for a nation by rolling tanks into their country in the middle of the night when are unsuspecting and asleep and therefore, defenseless. My Gramp died before ever being able to go back to visit his Motherland because of the 'soviets'. " | Marcia
United States
Aug.12.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "this is the information i really needed. thanks a lot!" | pattie
United Kingdom
Apr.29.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "soviets have destroyed every liberal and democratic things in our country as in Prague in 1 9 6 8. they killed a lot of people since 1937 to 1989 on 9 April. and international society HAS NEVER SAID ANYTHING. " | george
Georgia
Apr.16.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Yes, there were many people killed and many injured...two were killed not too far away from me in front of the radio station in Praha....and the majority of Czechoslovak people didn't welcome this "friendly" help !" | F. Fristensky
United States
Mar.09.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "I visited Czechoslovakia in 1970. Russian troops were everywhere. There were no people on the streets in Prague, it was a gray empty city. There was nothing to buy in the grocery stores. Old Town square was deserted. People were frightened, suspicious and defeated. Don't try and tell anyone who lived during that time that it was well cared for. If the people can't make their own choices of where to live, what to do, how to vote, what to read and write there is no freedom " | P Chalmers
Canada
Jan.07.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "My recolection of events of 1968 is this: There was a cold war well in place.
The Soviets were well awared of the west's, and specially the U.S hostile intentions towardrs the Socialist camp. The Vietnam war was in full gear, massacres were being carried out by U.S forces and their allies in order to protect the undemocratic and corrupt government in S. Vietnam. So,under those tense and hostile conditions, the Warsaw pact countries headed by the U.S.S.R decided to intervene on behalf of
another Socialist country, who was in danger of drifting away towards the "imperialist" camp.As of today, no one knows how many people got killed during the ivasion. The only thing that I know is that the vast majority of people wellcomed the invasion. " | ErnieCrespin
United States
Aug.11.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "hahaha, WOW, "truth teller" - i guess the only textbooks you've read on the subject were printed by the soviet union in the 70s, right? hello propaganda! on august 20-21st, between 5000 and 7000 soviet tanks and between 200000 and 600000 warsaw pact troups invaded the streets of prague - do you think they were there to spread the love? no, they were there to kill and arrest anyone who got in the way of restoring the imposed soviet rule. during the attack of the warsaw pact armies, 72 czechs and slovaks were killed and hundreds were wounded. you think they were shooting flowers from those guns?" | tell the actual truth
Czech Republic
Jul.02.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "these are all lies not a single czech person was killed only the crazy guy who set himself on fire.This is propaganda the soviets never killed a single czech person.The soviets took care of this country and helped the citizens.These false stories about soviets killing people were generated by americans seeking to disrupt communism and cause political instability.This revolt was american back as all other revolts and revolutions in former communist countries." | tell the truth
United States
Jun.27.2007
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "oh woooowww" | Rachel Stevens
Cambodia
May.18.2007
rates this page 1/5 |
| |