Prague Spring

Front

Who was Soviet leader in 1968?

Back

Brezhnev

Front

What was the capital of Czechoslovakia and where the uprising originated?

Back

Prague

Front

He was the ‘hardline’ Communist leader of Czechoslovakia from 1957 to 1968.

Back

Antonin Novotny

Answer explanation

Novotný did not bring in reforms, despite Khrushchev's de-Stalinisation policy

By the 1960s, the Czech economy was struggling and the standard of living was dropping.

When the leader of the USSR, Brezhnev, visited Czechoslovakia in December 1967, he withdrew his support for Novotný because he was so unpopular.

Front

Who replaced Antonin Novotny as leader of Czechoslovakia in Jan 1968?

Back

Alexander Dubcek, Dubcek

Front

Dubcek said he wanted to introduce a softer type of communism called "socialism with a ______ ____"

Back

human face

Answer explanation

That meant keeping the socialist model of government but guaranteeing a better delivery of goods, services and freedoms to the Czech people.

Front

How did Brezhnev respond to the Prague Spring?

Back

Invaded with 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops

Answer explanation

Though 5 members of the Warsaw Pact were involved, most troops and tanks were supplied by the USSR.

Front

What did the USA do in response to Brezhnev's actions?

Back

Nothing - They were distracted by Vietnam

Answer explanation

The USA accepted that the Soviets were taking this action in their own sphere of influence.

The USA was not going to consider any intervention that would constitute rollback of communism in Eastern Europe.

Front

What happened to Dubcek after the Prague Spring?

Back

He was sent to be a clerk at a woodyard.

Front

What did student Jan Palach do in response to the Soviet invasion?

Back

Self-immolation

Front

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine of 1968?

Back

Asserting the USSR’s right to intervene militarily in Eastern bloc countries

Answer explanation

Worried that Czechoslovakia was slipping from his grasp, the Soviet leader, Brezhnev, declared that the USSR would not allow the countries of Eastern Europe to reject communism, "even if it meant a third World War."

This became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine.

The USSR feared liberal ideas would spread to other Eastern European states causing instability and threatening the security of the Soviet Union.