MILESTONES

The Prague Spring A Year of Awakening

In 1968,Czechoslovakiawas a countryrevelling in the excitementof change. After sometwentyyearsof authoritariangovernment,an urgentsummonsfor anew form of communismarosefromalmosteverycornerof Czechsociety. "Socialism with a humanface" called for the integrationof democraticand socialistideals and placeditself in direct conflict with Soviet interests. Now,25 years after this monumentalyear of upheaval,as the Czech and Slovak republicscome totermswith theaftershockof a morerecentrevolution, it is importantto rememberthe energyanddefianceinstilled by thePragueSpring.

by Alison Pion

This spring a great chancehasbeengiven us... It is now up to us tomake our way through unknownconditions, to experiment,to givethe Socialist developmenta newlook, while leaning upon creativeMarxist thinking... .No one couldforgive us were we to waste thischance,were we to give up ouropportunities.-from a Czechoslovakiangovernment document on reform, entitled"Czechoslovakia’sRoad to Socialism," April 19, 1968.

T wenty five years ago, while studentsin the United Statesdemonstratedfor

civil rights and for an end to the vietnamWar, and while Frenchstudentsand laborleaders took to the barricadesin Paris,Czechoslovakianyouth groups and intellectualsconductedtheir own struggle forreform. The so-called"PragueSpring,"with its emphasison rebirth and change,challengedthe ruling CzechoslovakianCommunistparty. It pushed Czechoslovakia’s leadersto break with the Stalinistmodel of communismand to declaretheircountry’s independencefrom the Sovietbloc.

However, the PragueSpring did notdenouncecommunismaltogether,thebasic tenetsof which were integral to themovement’svision of reform. While itdid directly confront the ideological andpolitical monopoly of the Czechoslovakian communist government, themovementstrove to createa new defini

tion of communism-onethat incorporated a numberof Westerndemocraticelements.

Reformerscalled for an end to censorshipand for the establishmentof lawsand party statutesthat guaranteedtheright to dissent. They also demandedrecognitionof Czechoslovakia’sfreedomto determinedomestic policies withoutoutsideinterventionfrom powerful countriessuchas the SovietUnion.

The Winter Preceding: The Rule ofAntonin Novotny

Despite the tight reign and Stalinist-stylegovernanceof CommunistParty ChiefAntonin Novotny, the late 1960ssaw thegrowth of an increasinglyrestlessandfrustratedpublic who condemnedandcriticized the activities of the government.Many Czechoslovakiansfaulted Novotnyfor his retention of the old Stalinistbureaucracyandhis refusal to give fullbacking to Czechoslovakia’seconomicreform measures.He was also unpopularfor his failure to compensatefully the vic

tims of the 1950 purgesand his negativeattitude towardthe some 4.5 million Sb-yaks living in Czechoslovakia.Thesepolicies, as well as his supportof censorship, particularly alienatednumerousintellectualsand studentsand encouragedthem to speakout in favor of change.

Intellectualswere well positionedinCzechoslovakiansociety to be a powerfulforce for the reform movement.Endowedwith a certain respectand statusduethem from their educationandroleas cultural leaders,but removedfrompolitical positions that afforded theminfluence over the government’sactions,intellectual reformerswere free to pointout the government’sfailures withoutincriminatingthemselves.

The intellectual assaulton the communist administrationbeganat the Writers CongressConferencein PragueinJune,1967. Impassionedspeechesanddemonstrationscalledfor an investigationinto the activities of Novotny’s regime.Declarationsboomedthat, now, the timewas ripe for change. In response,theNovotny governmentmoved to disciplinethese writers through jailings and strictercensorshipregulations.

However, the spirit of reform hadalready takenhold of the peopleand wasnot so easily extinguished. Intellectualsand studentgroupscontinuedto pressforthe removal of Novotny and for a changein governmentdomesticpolicy. Evenfrom within his own administration,Novotny was confrontedwith demandsfor reform as more and morepoliticianssensed the changing mood of the

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Czechoslovakianpopulation.Public reportsoutlining the abuses

and scandalsof theNovotny regimeflourished. The Communistparty wasincreasinglydiscredited,while the reformmovementwas energized. As tensionsmounted,the Soviet Union-all the whileanxiously awaiting the outcome-pledgeda policy of non-interferenceinthe Czechoslovakianpowerstruggle.

Alexander Dubcek and the Blossoming of SprIng

In January of 1968, Novotny wasreplacedby AlexanderDubcekas headofthe Czechoslovakiancommunist party.Dubcekhad beena leading figure in themounting Slovak opposition to Czechdominance in the country’s post-waryears. He now cameto symbolize thespirit of reform and the hopeful mood ofthe PragueSpring.

Almost immediatelyafter his ascension to power,Dubcekeasedregulationsregardingcensorshipand beganto movehis country towards a model of communism that encouragedpolitical discussionand dissidence. It is unclear whetherDubcek himself shared the desireforreform or whetherhe simply reactedtothe insistent demandsof the people. Ineither case, in a reform platform published April 9, 1968, Dubcek’sparty outlined its plan for monumentalchange.

Includedin the packagewere regulations that guaranteedfreedomof speech,press,assembly,and religious observance. It establishedelectoral lawsdesignedto broadenthe choice of possible candidatesandprovide greateropportunities for non-communistparties.Dubcek’s plan for reform also includedeconomicpolicies that affordedpublicand private businessesmore independenceand allowed them to tradeopenlywith Westernnations. In addition, therewas a plan to establishan independentjudiciary systemand draftanew constitution for implementationin 1969.

To keepDubcek in line and remindhim of his promises to the Czechoslovakianpeople,thecountry’s leadingintellectuals issueda manifestoon June 26,1968. The piece, entitled "2,000 Wordsto Workers, Farmers,Scientists,Artists,andEveryone,"warnedagainstareturn toauthoritarianism. The manifestoalsocalled for all Czechoslovakiansto pushfor further reform of old Stalinist practices still entrenchedin the bureaucracy.

Trouble in Moscow

While the spirit in Czechoslovakiawasoneof euphoriaand rebirth, Moscow’smood was a greatdeal more somber. Acollectivewarningby Soviet, Polish,EastGerman,Hungarian,and Bulgarian leaders to the Czechoslovakiangovernmentwent unheeded.Though the Soviet blocsuggestedthat Czechoslovakiaought toproceedcautiouslywith its reform policies or face potentially harsh reprisalslike thoseHungary receivedin 1956,the Dubcek regimestill declaredits rightto determinedomesticpolicies withoutoutsideinterference.

Czechoslovakia’sreform movementraisedfears in Moscowaboutthe possibleadverseeffects on the Soviet Union’spower position in Europe. It provokedconcernthat Czechoslovakia’sexamplemight lead to other anti-Sovietoutbreaksin other parts of EasternEurope. Thereforms had already receivedsupportfrom Yugoslavia and Rumania. Confrontedwith amountingsenseof vulnerability, Soviet leadersbecameincreasinglyconvincedthat a policy of non-interferencetowardsCzechoslovakiawould becounter-productive.

Thus, on August 20, 1968,Czechoslovakiawas invaded by thearmedforces of the five Warsaw Pactpowers. Despite the high level of hostility felt by the Czechoslovakianpublic,resistanceto the predominantlySovietforce of 400,000was largely non-violentand grassrootsbased. Reluctantto position itself in direct oppositionto the Soviet Union, the Czechoslovakian

governmentmadeno appealto the peopleto confront the invaders and, instead,preachedpassiveresistance.

From Spring to Winter

In an effort to maintain his power,Dubcek struck a compromisewith theSoviets. He legitimized the presenceofforeign troops in Czechoslovakia,agreedto increaserestrictive measuresagainstdissidentsand to restore censorship,andpromised to purge the 1968 reformersfrom the political arena.In return, theSoviet Union offered Czechoslovakiaeconomicassistanceand continuedpeacebetweenthe two countries-anagreementthat effectively reinforcedthe politicaltiesbetweenthetwo countries.

However, most Czechoslovakiansremainedangry and frustratedby theSoviet Union’s invasion and repressivemeasures.Large andmilitant demonstrations against the U.S.S.R’s actionsoccurred in late October and earlyNovember,but the spirit of rebirth wasalready largely stifled. The verbalprotests by communist parties inYugoslavia, Rumania,and Italy did nothing to affect the Soviet Union’s hard-lineposition on Czechoslovakianreform.

Throughout the next three years,individuals active in the PragueSpringmovementwere eitherjailed or expelledfrom Czechoslovakiafor their activities.Vladimir Skutina, former TV commentator anda well known advocateof change,was sentencedto two yearsin prison onchargesof having written unpublishedpamphletsslanderingCzechoslovakiaandthe U.S.S.R. A group of fifteen Czechintellectualschargedwith "subvertingtherepublic" were sentencedto prison termsranging from 12 months to 2.5 years.These,andhundredsof other trials, combined with police searchesand randommass round-ups,frightenedthepopulation and silencedpublic demandsforreform.

What hadoncebeen in Czechoslovakia a time of spring, hope, and rebirthquickly transformedinto a cold winter ofsilenceand resignation. Yet, the energyand optimism of this movementthat galvanizedthe country into actioncontinuesto be commemoratedeach year in life’s.enduringcycles. As the revolution of1989 has shown, while spring leadsseasonally to winter, winter leadsjust as naturally andinevitably to spring.

Prague’sOld TownSquarewith Tyn Churchin background [NicholasBreyfogle]

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