Uprising in Czechoslovakia
- Also known as the Prague Spring, this was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War 2.
- It started with the election of Alexander Dubcek as the First Secretary of Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. He tried to initiate reforms that gave citizens more rights in an act of partial decentralization of the economy and democracy. These included the relaxing of strict restrictions on media, speech, and travel. The only changed that survived the end of Prague Spring was the splitting of the nation into two sections, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.
- The Soviets disliked the reforms and after failing with negotiations, they sent thousands of Warsaw pact troops and tanks to occupy the country.
- The reforms and revolution failed and Czechoslovakia remained occupied until 1990.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring
- This website describes the background of the Prague Spring, the liberalization and reform, the Soviet reaction, and the aftermath of the uprising. This website goes into great detail about these topics.
- This website summarizes the causes and main events of the uprisings.
- This website tells about the reasons for the Prague Spring and focuses on Alexander Dubcek's reforms.