The lead up to the Prague Spring

·         Czechoslovakian opposition to Soviet control:

o   There are strong similarities between what happened in Hungary in 1956 and event in Czechoslovakia 12 years later.

o   Czechoslovakia was a Soviet satellite state. Communism had had few benefits for the people. In the mid-1960’s, it was still run by the Secret Police, which brutally crushed all political opposition. At the same time, the Czechoslovakian economy was struggling. As a result many Czech people suffered a declining standard of living during the 1960’s.

o   Political repression and economic problems made Communist party leader, Antonin Novotny highly unpopular, and so his leadership was challenged. On 5^th Jan 1968, Alexander Dubcek became the Communist Party leader: the most powerful man in Czechoslovakia.

      Dubcek: he was the natural choice to lead Czechoslovakia. He was a committed Communist who was on friendly terms with Brezhnev (the Russian leader following Khrushchev’s fall from power in 1964). Dubcek’s aim was to create a genuinely popular form of Communism. He described this as ‘socialism with a human face.’ Essentially, Dubcek wanted to get rid of the most repressive aspects of Communist rule, to reform the economy and to allow more cultural freedom. In this way, he hoped to revitalize Czechoslovakian politics, economics and social life.