40th Anniversary of The Warsaw Pact Forces Invasion of Czechoslovakia

Many still remember the year of 1968. It was a time of releasing prisoners, opening borders, spreading awareness of freedom and consolidating our hopes for future economic prosperity. It was a historic milestone bringing alive a vision of a revived democratising process within the Communist Party, giving us the „Prague Spring“ associated with the name of Alexander Dubcek. Unfortunately, the political changes of those days were ended with the invasion by the troops of the Warsaw Pact, which was followed by the emigration of thousands of people abroad, by even stronger restriction of freedom than before and by total surrender of the political ideologies of the country.

In January 1968 Alexander Dubcek was elected as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ). Dubcek’s nomination had launched changes in the most significant positions within the Party and within the state machinery. Under his leadership Slovakia began to advocate secession and Czech and Slovak intelligence promoted a more democratic type of communism. This political style was then named socialism with a human face and the name has become an important term of the 20th century. One of the important aims of Slovak communists was the adjustment of the position of Slovakia within the Republic, which meant preparing for a separate state, however the Czech members did not welcome this idea with open arms.

Developments in Czechoslovakia began to change its political and economic situation and this made the surrounding Soviet Bloc frown. The thought that a „counter-revolution“ and undesired antisocialist development could also reach their countries started to cause anxiety by March 1968. Hopes that the Czechoslovak government would establish a change of direction quickly vanished into thin air when on May 4, 1968, during Czechoslovak-Soviet negotiations in Moscow, Soviet representatives asked for serious measures to be taken against the antisocialist and right-wing forces in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSSR).

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On July 14–15, 1968 a meeting of the representatives of the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, East Germany and Bulgaria was organised in Warsaw. Following the meeting, representatives of the KSČ received an appeal to intervene against “antisocialist“ and “imperialist“ forces. A few days later on August 3, 1968 Brezhnev declared at a meeting in Bratislava that the protection of socialism was a joint international duty of the socialist countries (so called Brezhnev’s doc­trine) and the opponents of the reformist wing of the KSČ (Alois Indra, Drahomir Kolder, Oldrich Svestka, Antonin Kapek and Vasil Bilak) responded with a letter addressed to Brezhnev. The letter explained that the situation at the Central Committee of the KSČ had got out of control and asked for comprehensive assistance when necessary. At 11:00 p.m. on August 20, 1968 the Soviet ambassador Chervonenko visited President Svoboda in order to inform him that the Warsaw Pact troops had crossed the Czechoslovakian border. Ruzyne airport in Prague was captured by Soviet aeroplanes and paratroopers and no aeroplanes were allowed to land or take off from there after midnight that day.

Broadcasting of the appeal from the KSČ Central Committee’s Pre­sidency to the people of Czechoslovakia to remain calm and to off er no resistance was interrupted when the medium wave transmitter was turned off . According to the KSČ Central Committee, the intervention of the forces of 5 Warsaw Pact states (more than 500,000 soldiers) was contrary to the basic principles of international law.

Despite appeals by the Presidency of the KSČ Central Committee and the President for prudence and nonresistance, conflicts arose from the very first day and people were injured and killed.

The Prime Minister Oldrich Cernik and the First Secretary of the KSČ Central Committee Alexander Dubcek were arrested and moved to a secret place in Moscow.

There was no intervention from Czechoslovak troops and the soldiers of the “befriended“ armies did not find support among the people of Czechoslovakia. Rather people were trying to make the Soviet soldiers understand that they came needlessly, that there was no „counter-revolution“ in Czechoslovakia. People tore down names of streets and road signs to confuse the occupants. A general strike took place and life in the country stopped for two minutes at 12:00 to raise another strong protest against the occupation. In many places a Czechoslovakian flag would appear and you would see signs and banners requesting that the Soviet troops leave and protest signs against the occupation everywhere.

On August 22 the Prague Committee of the KSČ summoned a special 14th convention which elected a new leadership, expressed its approval of the reformist tendencies from January and denounced the invasion. On the following day President Svoboda and his delegation flew to Moscow. The purpose of his trip was the liberation of the interned members, headed by Dubcek, which he managed to achieve through a series of compromises resulting in the surrender of reformist policies. The so called Moscow Protocols required nullification of the 14th KSČ convention, disbanding of antisocialist organisations, establishment of censorship, non-pursuance of Soviet collaborators and endorsement of a contract on legalisation of the Soviet troops’ stay in Czechoslovakia.

The invasion was followed by normalising policies which brought about persecution of the participants in the reformist process, censorship and mass emigration of Czechs and Slovaks. The Prague Spring ended definitely in April 1969 when Gustav Husak became the KSČ leader. The Soviets gradually increased their power. Husak’s pro-Russian KSČ created an extensive system controlled and maintained by Czechoslovak State Security. Many activists pursuing democracy during the Prague Spring lost their jobs, some ended up in prisons. The totalitarian regime in Czechoslovakia was finally brought to an end on November 17, 1989. Special thanks to Ústav pamäti národa.

More info: www.upn.gov.sk

By ÚPN
Photo: Archive ÚPN

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