Definition of Prague Spring

Just as the national conflicts to get rid of right-wing dictatorships protected by the United States occurred during the War Cold, there were also some episodes behind the Iron Curtain to get rid of the oppressive boot of regimes close to the Union Soviet. This is the story of one of the best known.

The Prague Spring was an attempt to soften the existing communist dictatorship in the former Czechoslovakia, to present a more “human” face, more democratic and concerned about the problems of the citizens.

This "experiment" on socialist-communist theories lasted from January to August 1968, ending abruptly with the military intervention. to "restore order" (his, of course), given the inaction of Western countries (since the country was in the orbit of influence Soviet).

The reforms began with the seizure of power by Alexander Dubček in January 1968.

To date, there was nothing to suggest that this man's mind was already plotting a type of socialism kinder to individuality and less prone to dictatorial attitudes than that prevailing in orthodoxy even less so that he would implement a program of change after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.

The doctrine implemented by Dubček was baptized as “human face socialism”.

This doctrine said that political power continued in the hands of the single communist party, but at the same time it granted a greater degree of freedom. politics and of participation in decisions directly to citizens.

Said participation (with the consequent diversity opinions) was carried out through the structure of the communist party.

Along with the changes, there was also a kind of purge of the conservative and traditionalist communists who preferred to follow the Moscow line.

Obviously, this is a necessary practice if you want to properly cement a change or revolution, remove the orthodoxy that remains faithful to the previous state of affairs.

The freedoms of the press and expression, in addition to the freedom of movement, were also considered, which allowed to begin to criticize the regime and the communist party for the first time publicly since the establishment of the communist government after World War II.

Also at this time a federated state of two historical nations (Czechia and Slovakia) was established.

This separation would lead to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993 and the founding of two new states: Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

The economy It also took some steps towards the consumer market and private initiative, although in very specific sectors and to a limited extent. However, this was a great step forward from the communist orthodoxy that still reigned in Moscow.

Much later, Mikhail Gorbachev would recognize the influence that socialism with a human face had had on Perestroika.

But that would happen two decades later. And, in 1968, Moscow was beginning to get nervous about the reforms undertaken by Dubček.

The possibility of a transition to a democratic system and a market economy in the long run, it made the intelligentsia of the CPSU in Moscow, which began to figure out how to end these reforms.

Given the Hungarian experience of '56, those responsible for the program of socialism with a human face did not criticize the USSR or the communist system, they made no mention of abandoning the Warsaw Pact (unlike what the Hungarians had done in their revolution), but even so, they could not prevent the violent end of the new order at the hands of the USSR and the rest of its satellite states of Eastern Europe (with the exception of Romania).

It also helped that the new freedoms were quickly taken advantage of by the population and critics of the system to demand even more, delving more quickly into the reforms proposed by government power. This led to a spiral in which the changes took more velocity.

On August 20, 1968, nearly a quarter of a million Warsaw Pact soldiers backed by some 2,000 tanks, penetrated the Czechoslovak borders, proceeding to the invasion of the country and putting an end to the "spring of Prague ”.

The operation was carried out with troops from the USSR, the GDR, Hungary (which had suffered a similar invasion in 1956 and the purge of its entire leadership), Poland and Bulgaria. Romania did not participate due to disagreements with the USSR, and Yugoslavia and Albania escaped the control of the Warsaw Pact.

Despite Dubček's call for armed non-resistance to the invader, there were both acts of non-violent resistance and some armed struggles with the invaders.

These were not carried out by the Czechoslovak army, which had been put out of play. during the first hours of the occupation with the help of Czechoslovak military and politicians loyal to Moscow.

Perhaps the iconic images of the peaceful protests against the Soviet occupation were those of students Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc burning in style. bonze in the famous Wenceslas Square in Prague with a month of difference between the two.

Dubček and the Czechoslovakian people would have their revenge in 1989, thanks to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet bloc.

In that year, Dubček was proclaimed president of the Czechoslovak parliament. Two decades apart, “socialism with a human face” would try again, but this time it would run into a dynamic of penetration of the capitalist economy that would invade everything.

Dubček died in 1992 without seeing his dream fully realized, but at least he had been able to live his political rehabilitation and the opening of his country.

Photo: Fotolia - kaprik

Themes in Prague Spring