GCSE · History · AQA · Spec 8145
Prague Spring and Czechoslovakia 1968
It's 1968. The government next door has loosened the rules, but it's staying inside communism. You run the Soviet Union. Do you shrug, or send in the troops?
How 1968 unfolded
Dates and events only. The web above is where the reasons live.
The Brezhnev Doctrine
Reason it through
Why did the force used in Prague end up reaching so far beyond Czechoslovakia?
First link · your turn
After the invasion, how did the Soviet leadership justify using force in Prague?
WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED
A quick recap of today's lesson.
Why Moscow crushed a reform that never left communism
What you need to know
- New leaders in Prague began reforms in the 1960s to soften how communism was applied inside Czechoslovakia.
- The economy had been slowing since the early 1960s, and cracks were showing in the communist consensus.
- Dubcek replaced Novotny in early 1968, and his government ended censorship so policies could be debated openly.
- April's reform plan tried to liberalise within the Marxist-Leninist framework. It did not propose a revolutionary overhaul.
Have a goIn your own words: what's the difference between liberalising within a system and a revolutionary overhaul of it?
Liberalising loosens the rules but keeps the system. An overhaul would replace the political and economic systems.
The April plan was the first kind, which is why it was not a plan to end communism.
- Reformers clashed with conservatives alarmed by how far liberalisation had gone, and Dubcek struggled to keep control.
- Recalling Hungary in 1956, Moscow feared other satellite states might follow, and that Soviet Republics might demand more liberal policies.
Have a goYour mate insists Hungary's 1956 uprising was copying Prague. Check their calendar: which came first, and what does that mean for Moscow's fear?
Hungary came first, in 1956. Moscow recalled it and feared a repeat, with others following Prague.
1956 is the memory shaping Moscow's worry in 1968; it can't be a copy of something twelve years later.
- After much debate, Moscow decided to intervene and install a more conservative, pro-Soviet government in Prague.
- On 20 August 1968, Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops invaded and swiftly took control of Prague, other major cities and key links.
- The Soviets guessed correctly that the US would condemn the invasion but not intervene, given Vietnam and earlier non-intervention statements.
- Afterwards, the Brezhnev Doctrine justified the force: Moscow could intervene wherever a communist government was threatened.
Have a goA friend writes: 'Moscow invaded because of the Brezhnev Doctrine.' Spot what's wrong with that sentence.
The doctrine came after the invasion, to justify force already used, so it can't have caused it.
A justification given afterwards can't be a reason for acting beforehand. The reasons are the pressures and fears in the web.
The big picture
In 1968 Czechoslovakia tried to loosen communism from the inside. Moscow crushed it anyway, because of what the reforms might start elsewhere. This lesson builds the web of pressures and fears behind that decision, then follows the invasion's consequences all the way to Afghanistan.
Key points
⚠ Watch out
Don't call it a purely Soviet invasion. The Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops, with limited numbers from Hungary, Poland, East Germany and Bulgaria alongside troops from the Soviet Union.
Memory hook
Look from Moscow's window. Not 'what did Dubcek want?' but 'what happens if everyone copies him?'
Check yourself
Close the lesson and try this. Name one pressure inside Czechoslovakia and one fear in Moscow, then join them with the words 'which meant' to explain the decision to intervene.
Flashcards
(15)Who replaced Antonin Novotny as head of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in early 1968?
What changed once Dubcek's government ended censorship?
What kind of reform was the April 1968 plan?
Which earlier event did Moscow's leaders recall when they worried about Czechoslovakia?
Beyond the satellite states, who else might have made demands for more liberal policies?
What happened on 20 August 1968?
How did the Soviets get their troops into position beforehand?
Why did the Soviets expect the US not to intervene?
What happened to Dubcek in April 1969?
What did the new leadership do in the years after 1969?
Give two ways the invasion counted as significant for the Soviet Union.
What did the invasion temporarily derail, and which summit did it cancel?
What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?
Why did Beijing fear the Brezhnev Doctrine, and what did that help finalise?
In 1979, what did the Brezhnev Doctrine become the primary justification for?
Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.
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