Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring, 1968 Cambridge IGCSE History revision
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In plain words
Twelve years after Hungary, another country tried again, more carefully. Its leader promised to stay loyal to Moscow and asked only to make communism kinder. The answer was the same: tanks.
9 things to know
- By the 1960s Czechoslovakia's economy was failing, and people resented the lack of freedom.
- In January 1968 Alexander Dubček became leader of the country's Communist Party. He wanted what he called "socialism with a human face".
- His reforms: less censorship, freedom of speech, freedom to travel abroad, and fewer powers for the secret police. This period of new freedom was called the Prague Spring.
- Dubček was careful. He said that Czechoslovakia would stay communist and stay in the Warsaw Pact.
- The Soviet leader, Brezhnev, was still alarmed. He feared that the new freedoms would spread to other countries, and that Czechoslovakia would drift towards the West. Other communist leaders urged him to act.
- On the night of 20 August 1968, troops and tanks from the USSR and other Warsaw Pact countries invaded.
- There was little fighting. People stood in front of tanks, argued with the soldiers and took down road signs. Dubček was removed, and a hard-line government was put in his place.
- Brezhnev then announced the Brezhnev Doctrine: the USSR would use force to keep any communist country from giving up communism.
- Compared with Hungary. Similar: both grew out of anger at Soviet control, both had a reforming leader, both were crushed by force, and the West did nothing. Different: Hungary tried to leave the Warsaw Pact and fought back, with thousands killed. Czechoslovakia promised to stay and resisted peacefully, with few deaths.
Worked example
How similar were the events in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968? Plan a 10-mark answer.
- Similar: the causes, which were repression and poor living standards. The leadership, by a reforming communist. The outcome, which was invasion, a hard-line replacement and no help from the West.
- Different: the aims, since Nagy left the Warsaw Pact and Dubček stayed in it. The resistance, which was armed in Hungary and peaceful in Czechoslovakia. The cost, with thousands dead in one and few in the other. The leaders' fates, since Nagy was executed and Dubček was only removed.
- Judgement: similar in cause and outcome, different in what happened in between. Even Dubček's caution could not save him.
Tips and tricks
- For a comparison, write in pairs: "In Hungary... whereas in Czechoslovakia...". Two separate accounts earn little.
- The Brezhnev Doctrine is the consequence to remember. It made the threat official.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring, 1968: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
Who led the reforms in Czechoslovakia in 1968?
He wanted "socialism with a human face".
What did Dubček promise that Nagy had not?
He tried not to provoke the USSR.
When did Warsaw Pact forces invade Czechoslovakia?
The Prague Spring had lasted about eight months.
How did most Czechs and Slovaks resist the invasion?
There was little bloodshed.
What did the Brezhnev Doctrine mean for eastern Europe?Stretch
It stayed in force until Gorbachev.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 14 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring, 1968
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 14 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
What was the Prague Spring?[4]
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It was the period of reform in Czechoslovakia in 1968, under Alexander Dubček. Censorship was relaxed, and people could speak and travel more freely. The powers of the secret police were reduced. It was ended by the Warsaw Pact invasion in August 1968.
Why did the USSR invade Czechoslovakia in 1968?[6]
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Brezhnev feared that Dubček's reforms would weaken communist control, and that the ideas would spread to other countries of eastern Europe. Leaders of other communist states urged him to act. Czechoslovakia lay in the middle of the Warsaw Pact, and its loss would have split the alliance. He did not trust Dubček's promise to stay loyal.
What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?[4]
Show answerHide answer
It was announced by the Soviet leader Brezhnev after the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. It said that the USSR would intervene, with force if needed, in any communist country where communist rule was under threat. It meant that the countries of eastern Europe would not be allowed to choose their own path.
Answers: Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring, 1968
- 1. It was the period of reform in Czechoslovakia in 1968, under Alexander Dubček. Censorship was relaxed, and people could speak and travel more freely. The powers of the secret police were reduced. It was ended by the Warsaw Pact invasion in August 1968.
- 2. Brezhnev feared that Dubček's reforms would weaken communist control, and that the ideas would spread to other countries of eastern Europe. Leaders of other communist states urged him to act. Czechoslovakia lay in the middle of the Warsaw Pact, and its loss would have split the alliance. He did not trust Dubček's promise to stay loyal.
- 3. It was announced by the Soviet leader Brezhnev after the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. It said that the USSR would intervene, with force if needed, in any communist country where communist rule was under threat. It meant that the countries of eastern Europe would not be allowed to choose their own path.