Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Czech Opposition to Soviet Control (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
What was Life Like in Communist Czechoslovakia? - Summary
The Soviet Union established communism in Czechoslovakia in 1948. Stalin supported a communist coup. This created Czechoslovakia as a satellite state under the leadership of Klement Gottwald. Life under Gottwald's government was hard. The communist economy set Five Year Plans for each satellite state of the Soviet Union. Each satellite state provided the Soviet Union with a valuable product. Five Year targets were often unattainable. The local communist governments still expected workers to meet the planned economic output. The Soviet Union treated and paid their workers poorly. This caused poor standards of living. The Soviet Union essentially controlled Czechoslovakia. The secret police monitored for dissent. The Czech people had no freedom of speech or protest. In the 1940s and 1950s, Stalin ordered purges among military leaders, politicians and religious groups. There was a growing desire in Czechoslovakia for reform. An increasing number of student protests in 1966 showed the unpopularity of the government. There was a desire within the Czech Communist Party for limited reform by 1968. |
Prague Spring
There was a growing desire for change in Czechoslovakia
Life in Czechoslovakia was hard. People had limited freedoms and low living standards
The Czech government under Gottwald was unpopular with the Czech public
From April 1968, the Czech government released a series of reforms to improve the lives of the Czech public
This period of reform is known as the Prague Spring
Prague was the capital of Czechoslovakia
A 'spring' refers to a period of mass protest and political reform
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Czechoslovakia was not the first satellite state to attempt to reform its communist government. Imre Nagy passed a series of reforms in Hungary in 1956. The motivation for these reforms was the same as in Czechoslovakia. This shows an ongoing narrative of the Cold War - that people were unhappy living under communist governments and wanted reform.
Who was Alexander Dubcek?
In 1968, the Czech Communist Party elected Alexander Dubcek as First Secretary
This title gave Dubcek the responsibility of leading the Czech government
The Soviet Union approved the appointment of Dubcek
The Soviet Union and the Czech Communist Party trusted Dubcek to improve the Czech government's efficiency and popularity
Dubcek needed to achieve these aims while remaining loyal to the Soviet Union
Dubcek was a devout communist. He believed in:
The upholding of the Warsaw Pact
Implementing communism in a way that did not make people's lives miserable
'Socialism With a Human Face' - the Prague Spring Reforms
Dubcek popularised the term 'Socialism with a human face'
Dubcek wanted the Czech public to enjoy living in a communist state by being able to:
Express their opinion about communism
Raise concerns about their government without facing punishment
Gain access to a better quality of life
Dubcek's reforms
Reaction to Dubcek's reforms
The Czech public reacted positively to the Prague Spring reforms
The Soviet Union did not like Dubcek's reforms
Brezhnev ousted Khrushchev as the leader of the Soviet Union. He was not as open to reform as Khrushchev had claimed to be
The Soviet Union became concerned about Dubcek's commitment to the Warsaw Pact
Dubcek confirmed that Czechoslovakia would remain a loyal ally to the Soviet Union
Brezhnev did not want Dubcek's actions to encourage other satellite states to reform
In the 1960s, the Soviet Union's control over Eastern Europe was not as strong as it had been in the 1940s
Yugoslavia had broken away from the Soviet Union
Romania had refused to attend Warsaw Pact meetings
Brezhnev needed to keep control over Czechoslovakia
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Brezhnev's reaction to the Prague Spring is discussed here. A question could ask you to write a narrative account of the Soviet reaction to the Prague Spring. A narrative account answer should follow CHRONOLINK:
Put the sequence of events in chronological order
Link each section of the narrative to the next event that occurred. You should use linkage terms such as: 'as a consequence', 'this led to' or 'because'
The first section of your narrative should state the reforms Dubcek attempted to introduce. Your link should include process words such as 'affected' and 'worsened' to explain Brezhnev's hatred of the reforms and his subsequent reaction.
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