Czechoslovakia 1968 - 2017

1. Czechoslovakia 1968
By: Lucas Campion,Vignesh Manwani, Milagros Montanelli, Victoria
Landolfo and Flor Claps

2. Background of the crisis

3. - After WW2, a National Government was formed with 9 ministers from the communist
party.
- Czechoslovakia wanted to have the freedom to develop their own independent socialist
government.
- 1946-1948 the Czech communists came under increasing Soviet pressure because of the
Czech government wanting to accept the Marshall Aid.
- The communists began to protest and purge the opposition.
- 12 non-communist cabinet members resigned in protest for Beneš to punish those
responsible for the purges.
- Beneš did nothing about it because support for the communist party had grown and he
was afraid to anger the Soviets.
- Minister Gottwald threatened to resign if Beneš didn’t form a pro-communist government,
Beneš gave in and in february 25 (1948) the new government was created.
- In june of 1948 Edvard Beneš resigned.

4. Development of the crisis

5. Start:
- January 1968: Alexander Dubĉek becomes first secretary of the communist leading
party.
- Dubĉek presents his reforms for Czechoslovakia to have her own autonomy and
freedom of expression.
- Russian leaders and Warsaw pact members met with Dubĉek and try to persuade him.
- Warsaw pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and took control in Prague
Finish:
- Dubĉek and other reformers are taken to Moscow.
- The reformers are forced to sign the Moscow Protocol effectively ending the
liberalisation programme.
- The reformers go back to Czechoslovakia on August the 27th.
- April 1969: Dubĉek is forced to resign from his position.

6. Witness

7. Josef Koudelka
-Was a young engineer who had been taking pictures of the Czech life
-Was in the city when the soldiers arrived and he took pictures of the disturbance the
Warsaw pact army created -Recorded with pictures of the invasion that changed the
course of his nation
-The pictures were smuggled out of Czechoslovakia and appeared in the London Sunday
Times in 1969
-He did not return to Czechoslovakia
“I was afraid to go back to Czechoslovakia because I knew that if they wanted to find
out who the unknown photographer was, they could do it”.

8. Sources