A backgrounder of Prague Spring
Czechoslovakia, the former name of Czech and Slovakia, had been invaded by Germany and the Soviet Union separately in 1938 and 1968, between which the Czech people can never forget the Prague Spring in 1968.
When the reformist Alexander Dubček came to be the highest leader of Czechoslovakia in 1968, he decided to carry out a reformation in this socialist country, and tended to give more rights to the citizens, including ease the control on the media, speech and travel, etc.
The act of partial decentralization of the economy and democratization arose the attention of the Soviet Union, who’s the big brother of the country at that time. After useless negotiation, they came to no consent. So the Soviet Union sent out troops and tanks in August 21, 1968 to control Czechoslovakia.
The Prague spring reform only lasted from January 5 to August 21 1968, and then the whole country was under the control of the Soviet Union until 1990. After the invasion, Gustáv Husák, who replaced Dubček and then became the president of the country, reversed almost all of Dubček’s reforms. The only heritage of Dubček is that Czechoslovakia was then divided into Czech and Slovakia until today.
It was a tough time for all the citizens in Prague as well as in the whole country, and many Czechoslovakia people went to other countries to avoid this event. It has been a nightmare for those people who experienced it, and will always be a deep pain underneath their skin.
