39090699
| Question | Answer |
| Define 'Prague Spring' | January to August 1968 - Czech Government attempted to introduce liberal democratic reforms + reduce Soviet influence |
| Motives? (Economic) | Frustration with economic situation - living standards falling, basic food shortages, USSR |
| Motives? (Political) | Anton Novotny - 'little Stalinist!' Leader from 1957 - failed to introduced any reforms in spite of Khrushchev's commitment to 'Peaceful co-existence'. |
| Brezhnev’s initial response | Replaces Novotny with Alexander Dubcek |
| Dubcek's 'reforms' | Relax censorship - free speech - more political parties - limit powers of secret police - lifting travel restrictions - free market economy (capitalist) |
| Dubcek's commitment to the USSR | Would not leave the Warsaw Pact. Would not pursue an independent foreign policy. |
| Czech Communist Party - reaction to Dubcek | Reforms going too far - threatened socialism. August 3 - wrote to Brezhnev to get him to intervene |
| Brezhnev's response | Pressure on Dubcek from Politburo to reverse reforms. Warsaw Pact Tank manoeuvres carried out on the border (Intimidation) inc. Poland + East Germany |
| Invasion - 20/21st August, 1968 | 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops + tanks enter Prague. Dubcek + leaders arrested and taken to Moscow. Dubcek forced to sign the Moscow Protocol (to reverse reforms) Dubcek replaced by Husak (reliable communist!) |
| Brezhnev Doctrine | The USSR had the 'right' to invade any country in its sphere of influence which threatened the stability of eastern Europe. |
| Outcomes | Dubcek arrested - Gustáv Husák ‘appointed’ - policy of ‘normalisation’ = reversing Dubcek’s reforms. Brezhnev Doctrine. Eastern Bloc - ‘secured’. |
| Western Response | Diplomatic ‘condemnation’ in UN No ‘active’ response - West ‘accepted’ the USSR was operating in it’s ’sphere of influence’ - not prepared to ‘roll-back’ communism. USA also heavily involved in Vietnam. |
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