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Antonín Novotný delivering his 1967 New Year’s Address (Source: Czech News Agency, Photographed by Jiří Rubič)
Front Cover of the Communist Party Action Programme (Security Services Archives)
Participants in the constituting meeting of the Association of Former Political Prisoners K-231 at Žofín on 31 March 1968 (National Museum)
Leaders of the Communist Party at the front of the 1 May parade in 1968. First row from the right: B. Kučera, J. Piller, F. Kriegel, A. Dubček, L. Svoboda, G. Husák (Source: Czech News Agency)
The Club of Committed Non-Party Members also took part in the May Day parade in 1968. Its Chairman, Ludvík Rybáček, is the second man from the left, and Rudolf Battěk is the third man from the left. (1 May 1968, source: Institute for Contemporary History)
The 2000 Words Manifesto was written by the writer Ludvík Vaculík (Source: National Museum)
Occupation tanks in Prague on 21 August 1968 (Source: National Museum)
Flags stained with the blood of those killed, Prague, 21 August 1968 (Source: National Museum)
The National Museum was also under gun fire. People standing in front of it were protecting themselves against the gun fire near the place where Jan Palach committed his act half a year later. (Source: National Museum)
Anti-occupation posters in Brno (Source: National Museum, Photographed by Dušan Blaha)
August notices in Vsetín (Source: National Museum)

The Prague Spring

“This spring, a great opportunity was given to us once again, as it was after the end of the war. Again we have the chance to take into our own hands our common cause, which for working purposes we call socialism, and give it a form more appropriate to our once-good reputation and to the fairly good opinion we used to have of ourselves. The spring is over and will never return. By winter we will know all. So ends our statement addressed to workers, farmers, officials, artists, scholars, scientists, technicians, and everybody. It was written at the request of scholars and scientists.”

The final part of the 2000 Words Manifesto of 27 June 1968

The political situation in Czechoslovakia had been gradually easing since the beginning of the 1960s. Most of the political prisoners were set free during the May amnesties in 1960, 1962, and 1965. There was a significant cultural revival, the most remarkable signs of which were, for example, the worldwide famous films of the Czechoslovak New Wave. In academic institutions, new reform plans began to be drafted, which were to solve the worsening economic situation.

During the period when Antonín Novotný, who had got to the top during the period of mass political trials, was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party as well as the president, periods of easing alternated with periods of political tightening. Gradually, an inner party opposition was arousing against him, and in January 1968, he was forced to leave the leadership of the Party. There were various reasons for Novotný’s fall – the economic crisis, the Slovak issue, or disagreements with certain groups, such as university students. Alexander Dubček was elected the leader of the Communist Party.

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His name is linked with a short eight-month period when the democratization efforts gathered momentum; censorship was virtually abolished at the end of March 1968 and the media began to openly deal with taboo issues of the recent past, which was also one of the reasons why Antonín Novotný was forced to resign from his post as President, and Ludvík Svoboda, a supporter of the reforms, replaced him. Other government posts were also gradually occupied by pro-reform politicians.

In April 1968, the Central Committee of the Communist Party adopted a so-called “Action Programme” which introduced the Party’s reform plans.

The unexpected events of spring 1968 made the people very excited, and their spontaneous excitement was symbolized by the celebrations of 1 May. However, the mobilized public already wanted reforms that were more widespread than the Communist Party was willing to accept. Even the most pro-reform members of the leadership of the Communist Party scorned the activities of the newly established Club of Committed Non-Party Members (KAN), the Association of Former Political Prisoners (K 231), or the efforts to re-establish the Social Democratic Party. The leadership of the Party was literally shocked by the 2000 Words Manifesto written by the writer Ludvík Vaculík. It was published at the end of June 1968 in the weekly called Literární listy (Literary Newspaper). Even the attitudes of the representatives of the pro-reform wing of the Communist Party were dismissive with regard to the manifesto.

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At that time, Czechoslovak politicians had already attended several tête-à-tête meetings with the Soviet representatives, who asked them to stop the reform process. Representatives of other “fraternal” communist parties, such as the Polish or East German ones, also exerted pressure on the Czechoslovak representatives. Alexandr Dubček did promise to intervene, but failed to take any apparent steps. Therefore, the diplomatic pressure was replaced by a military solution. On the eve of 21 August 1968, Czechoslovakia was occupied by the armies of five Warsaw Pact countries. Several of the main representatives of Czechoslovakia, including the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, were kidnapped and transported to the Soviet Union. However, the invasion provoked resistance from the entire nation, due to which the invaders did not succeed in establishing a collaborationist government. One of the highlights of the Prague Spring was the 14th Extraordinary Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, held in Vysočany in Prague. At the congress, those who opposed the reform movement were removed from office, even though it was to be just for a short period of time. It was the President, Ludvík Svoboda, who helped the invaders solve their uncomfortable situation. Together with some other politicians, he flew to Moscow and persuaded the representatives of the Party who had been kidnapped to sign a capitulation agreement.

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