This Day in History: 17 April 2020
17 April 1969
51 years ago, today, Alexander Dubcek, the communist leader who launched a range of liberal reforms in Czechoslovakia, was forced to resign by Soviet forces. In his place, Gustav Husak was appointed leader, re-establishing an authoritarian communist dictatorship. In 1963, the move towards liberalisation in Czechoslovakia began, reaching its peak in 1968, after Antonin Novotny was replaced by Dubcek. A series of far-reaching political and economic reforms were introduced, which included increased freedom of speech, and an end to widespread censorship, coined 'communism with a human face'. This was celebrated across the country, and this brief period of freedom became known as the 'Prague Spring'.
In August, the Soviet Union responded to the reforms with an invasion by 600,000 Warsaw Pact troops, but Prague was not eager to give way. However, scattered student resistance was no match for Soviet tanks. The reforms were repealed, and Gustav Husak was brought in to replace Dubcek. 20 years later, as communist governments began to collapse across Eastern Europe, Prague again began to desire democratic reforms, and in December 1989, Husak's government granted the demands for a multiparty parliament. However, this caused Husak to resign, and Dubcek returned to politics for the first time in two decades, taking the role of chairman of the new parliament, which later elected Vaclav Havel as president. During the Prague Spring, Havel had gained popularity, but after the Soviet invasion, his plays were banned, and his passport was confiscated.
Want to find out more about the life and legacy of Alexander Dubcek? Click here for more information, or here for more about the Prague Spring.
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