Czech Opposition to Soviet Control (Edexcel GCSE History)

What was Life Like in Communist Czechoslovakia? - Summary

Prague Spring

• There was a growing desire for change in Czechoslovakia

  • Life in Czechoslovakia was hard. People had limited freedoms and low living standards

  • The Czech government under Gottwald was unpopular with the Czech public

• From April 1968, the Czech government released a series of reforms to improve the lives of the Czech public

  • This period of reform is known as the Prague Spring

    • Prague was the capital of Czechoslovakia

    • A 'spring' refers to a period of mass protest and political reform

Who was Alexander Dubcek?

• In 1968, the Czech Communist Party elected Alexander Dubcek as First Secretary

  • This title gave Dubcek the responsibility of leading the Czech government

  • The Soviet Union approved the appointment of Dubcek

• The Soviet Union and the Czech Communist Party trusted Dubcek to improve the Czech government's efficiency and popularity

  • Dubcek needed to achieve these aims while remaining loyal to the Soviet Union

• Dubcek was a devout communist. He believed in:

  • The upholding of the Warsaw Pact

  • Implementing communism in a way that did not make people's lives miserable

'Socialism With a Human Face' - the Prague Spring Reforms

• Dubcek popularised the term 'Socialism with a human face'

  • Dubcek wanted the Czech public to enjoy living in a communist state by being able to:

    • Express their opinion about communism

    • Raise concerns about their government without facing punishment

    • Gain access to a better quality of life

Dubcek's reforms

A concept map showing the reforms suggested by Dubcek in the Prague Spring, April 1968

Reaction to Dubcek's reforms

• The Czech public reacted positively to the Prague Spring reforms

• The Soviet Union did not like Dubcek's reforms

  • Brezhnev ousted Khrushchev as the leader of the Soviet Union. He was not as open to reform as Khrushchev had claimed to be

• The Soviet Union became concerned about Dubcek's commitment to the Warsaw Pact

  • Dubcek confirmed that Czechoslovakia would remain a loyal ally to the Soviet Union

  • Brezhnev did not want Dubcek's actions to encourage other satellite states to reform

    • In the 1960s, the Soviet Union's control over Eastern Europe was not as strong as it had been in the 1940s

    • Yugoslavia had broken away from the Soviet Union

    • Romania had refused to attend Warsaw Pact meetings

    • Brezhnev needed to keep control over Czechoslovakia