Period of liberalisation in Czechoslovakia from 5 January to 21 August 1968
The Prague Spring was a short-lived liberalisation movement in Czechoslovakia crushed by a Warsaw Pact invasion, shaping Cold War politics and inspiring later dissident movements.
Key Facts
- Start date
- 5 January 1968
- End date (invasion)
- 21 August 1968
- Warsaw Pact troops deployed
- ~650,000 men
- Duration of resistance
- Almost 8 months
- Invading nations
- USSR, Bulgaria, East Germany, Hungary, Poland
- Sole surviving reform
- Czech–Slovak dual federal structure
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Reformist Alexander Dubček became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia on 5 January 1968 and introduced liberalising measures including relaxed media restrictions, greater freedom of speech and travel, and partial decentralisation of the economy. These reforms alarmed the Soviet leadership, which feared the erosion of communist authority across the Eastern Bloc and sought to reverse them through failed negotiations.
The Prague Spring lasted from 5 January to 21 August 1968, during which Dubček's government expanded civil liberties and debated a federal restructuring of the state. The period ended when the USSR and four Warsaw Pact allies invaded with approximately 650,000 troops and tanks to suppress the reforms. Civilian resistance through sabotage, fraternisation attempts and defiance of curfews persisted for nearly eight months, and several protest self-immolations occurred, most notably that of Jan Palach.
Following the invasion, Czechoslovakia entered a period of 'normalisation' under Gustáv Husák, who reversed nearly all of Dubček's reforms and restored orthodox communist governance. The country remained a Soviet satellite until the Velvet Revolution of 1989 peacefully ended communist rule, with the last Soviet troops departing in 1991. The Prague Spring became an influential reference point for civilian-based resistance and inspired writers and artists including Václav Havel and Milan Kundera.