Knowledge (XXG)

History of Czechoslovakia (1948–1989)

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1196:." Charter 77 defined itself as "a loose, informal, and open community of people" concerned with the protection of civil and human rights. It denied oppositional intent and based its defense of rights on legally binding international documents signed by the Czechoslovak government and on guarantees of civil rights contained in the Czechoslovak Constitution. The Charter 77 group declared its objectives to be the following: to draw attention to individual cases of human rights infringements; to suggest remedies; to make general proposals to strengthen rights and freedoms and the mechanisms designed to protect them; and to act as intermediary in situations of conflict. The Charter had over 800 signatures by the end of 1977, including workers and youth; by 1985 nearly 1,200 Czechoslovaks had signed the Charter. The Husák regime, which claimed that all rights derive from the state and that international covenants are subject to the internal jurisdiction of the state, responded with fury to the Charter. The text was never published in the official media. Signatories were arrested and interrogated; dismissal from employment often followed. The Czechoslovak press launched vicious attacks against the Charter. The public was mobilized to sign either individual condemnations or various forms of "anti-Charters." 1129:
position. Frequent contacts between the Soviet and Czechoslovak communist parties and governments made certain that the Soviet position on any issue was both understood and followed. The Soviets continued to exert control over Czechoslovak internal affairs, including oversight over the police and security apparatus. Five Soviet ground divisions and two air divisions had become a permanent fixture, while the Czechoslovak military was further integrated into the Warsaw Pact. In the 1980s, approximately 50% of Czechoslovakia's foreign trade was with the Soviet Union, and almost 80% was with communist countries. There were constant exhortations about further cooperation and integration between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia in industry, science, technology, consumer goods, and agriculture. Deriving its legitimacy from Moscow, the Husák regime remained a slavish imitator of political, cultural, and economic trends emanating from Moscow.
1055:(i.e., national parliaments). The Gustáv Husák regime amended the law in January 1971 so that, while federalism was retained in form, central authority was effectively restored. In the meantime, a Slovak parliament and government had been created, including all ministries except for defence and foreign affairs. Besides, a so-called no-majorisation principle requiring consensus between Czechia and Slovakia at the Federal Assembly in Prague was enacted. But due to the fact that neither governments nor parliaments made political decisions under the regime, it remained just a formality. Decisions were taken "by the politburo of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. There was one communist party and it was situated in Prague". Deciding about Slovak affairs in Slovakia was not allowed to happen. 687:(wealthy peasants). Collectivisation was near completion by 1960. 16% of all farmland (obtained from collaborators and kulaks) had been turned into state-run farms. Despite the elimination of poor land from cultivation and a tremendous increase in the use of fertilisers and tractors, agricultural production declined seriously. By 1959, pre-war production levels still had not been met. Major causes of the decline were the diversion of labour from agriculture to industry (in 1948 an estimated 2.2 million workers were employed in agriculture; by 1960, only 1.5 million); the suppression of the kulak, the most experienced and productive farmer; and the peasantry's opposition to collectivisation, which resulted in sabotage. 160: 706:, and the local governments were made responsible to the National Assembly. The National Assembly, however, continued its rubber-stamp approval of KSČ policies. All private enterprises using hired labour were abolished. Comprehensive economic planning was reaffirmed. The Bill of Rights emphasised economic and social rights, (e.g the right to work, leisure, health care, and education), with less emphasis on civil rights. The judiciary was combined with the prosecuting branch; all judges were committed to the protection of the socialist state and the education of citizens in loyalty to the cause of socialism. 1539:
late 1970s and early 1980s, assimilationist policies held clear sway. There were efforts to increase the participation of Roma children in preschool, kindergarten, secondary school, apprenticeship programs, and summer recreational and educational camps. There were also concerted government attempts to integrate Roma into the national labor force; in the early 1980s, some 90% of adult Roma males below retirement age were employed. In 1979 about 50% of working-age Roma women were employed; by 1981 this figure had risen to 74%.
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congress, convened secretly on 22 August, passed a resolution affirming its loyalty to Dubček's Action Program and denouncing the Soviet aggression. President Svoboda repeatedly resisted Soviet pressure to form a new government under Indra. The Czechoslovak population was virtually unanimous in its repudiation of the Soviet action. In compliance with Svoboda's caution against acts that might provoke violence, they avoided mass demonstrations and strikes but observed a symbolic one-hour general work stoppage on 23 August.
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legislative responsibility. The Slovak executive (Board of Commissioners) and legislature (Slovak National Council) were assured that they could assist the central government in program planning and assume responsibility for program implementation in Slovakia. The regional, district, and local national committees were to be permitted a degree of autonomy. The KSČ agreed to refrain from superseding the authority of economic and social organizations. Party control in cultural policy, however, was reaffirmed.
886:—supported Dubček. Conservatives—Vasil Biľak, Drahomír Kolder, and Oldřich Švestka—adopted an anti-reformist stance. Brezhnev decided on compromise. The KSČ delegates reaffirmed their loyalty to the Warsaw Pact and promised to curb "antisocialist" tendencies, prevent the revival of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party, and control the press more effectively. The Soviets agreed to withdraw their troops (stationed in Czechoslovakia since the June maneuvers) and permit the 9 September party congress. 656:. Production was concentrated in larger units; the more than 350,000 units of the pre-war period were reduced to about 1,700 units by 1958. Industrial output reportedly increased 233% between 1948–59 and employment in industry by 44%. The speed of industrialisation was particularly accelerated in Slovakia, where production increased 347% and employment by 70%. Although Czechoslovakia's industrial growth of 170% between 1948–57 was huge, it was far exceeded by that of Japan ( who increased by 300%) and 2443: 906:. These actions are thought to have precipitated the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. As the KSČ Presidium convened on 20 August, the anti-reformists planned to make a bid for power, pointing to the imminent danger of counterrevolution. Kolder and Indra presented a resolution declaring a state of emergency and calling for "fraternal assistance." The resolution was never voted on, because the Warsaw Pact troops entered Czechoslovakia that same day (in the night of 20 August-21). 1416:
twenty-four print media producers. Six Slovak publishing institutions were also publishing Hungarian literature. The Slovaks in Hungary, however, had no kindergartens, no schools, no theatres and one print media producer. One Hungarian publishing institution was also publishing Slovak literature. This is primarily because the Slovak population of Hungary is much more sparsely populated across northern and southern Hungary and are not concentrated in one compact region.
482:. This gave legal sanction to the KSČ coup, and marked the onset of undisguised Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. On 9 May, the National Assembly, purged of dissidents, passed a new constitution. It was not a completely Communist document; since a special committee prepared it in the 1945–48 period, it contained many liberal and democratic provisions. It reflected, however, the reality of Communist power through an addition that declared Czechoslovakia a 456: 783:. The program called for a second, intensive stage of economic development, emphasizing technological and managerial improvements. Central planning would be limited to overall production and investment indexes as well as price and wage guidelines. Management personnel would be involved in decision-making. Production would be market oriented and geared toward profitability. Prices would respond to supply and demand. Wage differentials would be introduced. 831:
unaffiliated political clubs were created. Party conservatives urged the implementation of repressive measures, but Dubček counselled moderation and reemphasized KSČ leadership. In May he announced that the Fourteenth Party Congress would convene in an early session on 9 September. The congress would incorporate the Action Program into the party statutes, draft a federalization law, and elect a new (presumably more liberal) Central Committee.
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struggle against "bourgeois" ideology and all "antisocialist" forces. The Soviet Union expressed its intention to intervene in a Warsaw Pact country if a "bourgeois" system—a pluralist system of several political parties—was ever established. After the Bratislava conference, Soviet troops left Czechoslovak territory but remained along Czechoslovak borders. Dubček did not attempt to mobilize the Czechoslovak army to resist an invasion.
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were to be democratized, and Czechoslovakia was to be federalized. Freedom of assembly and expression would be guaranteed in constitutional law. The New Economic Model was to be implemented. The Action Program also reaffirmed the Czechoslovak alliance with the Soviet Union and other socialist states. The reform movement, which rejected Stalinism as the road to communism, remained committed to communism as a goal.
932:. In Prague and other cities throughout the republic, Czechs and Slovaks greeted Warsaw Pact soldiers with arguments and reproaches. Every form of assistance, including the provision of food and water, was denied the invaders. Signs, placards, and graffiti drawn on walls and pavements denounced the invaders, the Soviet leaders, and suspected collaborators. Pictures of Dubček and Svoboda appeared everywhere. 1690: 36: 768:
critical articles. Criticism of economic planning merged with more generalized protests against KSČ bureaucratic control and ideological conformity. The KSČ leadership responded. The purge trials of 1949–54 were reviewed, for example, and some of those purged were rehabilitated. Some hardliners were removed from top levels of government and replaced by younger, more liberal communists.
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to replace Novotný as first secretary of the KSČ. Novotný's fall from KSČ leadership precipitated initiatives to oust Stalinists from all levels of government, from mass associations, e.g., the Revolutionary Trade Union Movement and the Czechoslovak Union Youth, and from local party organs. On 22 March 1968, Novotný resigned from the presidency and was succeeded by General
1330:("openness") in the discussion of economic, social, and, to some extent, political questions. Up to this time, the Husák regime had dutifully adopted the programs and slogans that had emanated from Moscow. But, for a government wholly dedicated to the preservation of the status quo, subjects such as "openness," economic "restructuring," and "reform" had been taboo. 842:". The manifesto expressed concern about conservative elements within the KSČ and "foreign" forces as well. (Warsaw Pact maneuvers were held in Czechoslovakia in late June.) It called on the "people" to take the initiative in implementing the reform program. Dubček, the party Presidium, the National Front, and the cabinet sharply denounced the manifesto. 898:
provided an extensive review of the general political situation in Czechoslovakia as it might relate to the forthcoming party congress. It predicted that a stable Central Committee and a firm leadership could not necessarily be expected as the outcome of the congress. The party Presidium received the report on 12 August. Two Presidium members, Kolder and
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clubs, and the repression of "rightist" forces within the party. The Warsaw Pact nations declared the defence of Czechoslovakia's socialist gains to be not only the task of Czechoslovakia but also the mutual task of all Warsaw Pact countries. The KSČ rejected the Warsaw Pact ultimatum, and Dubček requested bilateral talks with the Soviet Union.
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leadership adopted a wait-and-see attitude. By midsummer, however, two camps had formed: advocates and opponents of military intervention. The pro-interventionist coalition viewed the situation in Czechoslovakia as "counterrevolutionary" and favoured the defeat of Dubček and his supporters. This coalition was headed by the
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asserted that the crime rate among the Romani population was four times the national average. The author went on to call for "the incorporation of all Gypsy citizens of productive age to the working process" and to decry the number of Roma "who constantly refuse to work". A large number of Roma were
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Although Hungarians were a distinct minority of the total population, they were highly visible in the border regions of Slovakia. There, Hungarians constituted nearly half the population of some districts. Furthermore, 20% lived in exclusively Hungarian settlements. Given Hungary's long domination of
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On a larger scale, independent activity was expressed through underground writing and publishing. Because of the decentralized nature of underground writing, it is difficult to estimate its extent or impact. Hundreds of books, journals, essays, and short stories were published and distributed. In the
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Through the 1970s and 1980s, the government's emphasis on obedience, conformity, and the preservation of the status quo was challenged by individuals and organized groups aspiring to independent thinking and activity. Although only a few such activities could be deemed political by Western standards,
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The generalized resistance caused the Soviet Union to abandon its original plan to oust Dubček. Dubček, who had been arrested on the night of 20 August, was taken to Moscow for negotiations. The outcome was the Brezhnev Doctrine of limited sovereignty, which provided for the strengthening of the KSČ,
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Dubček carried the reform movement a step further in the direction of liberalism. After Novotný's fall, censorship was lifted. The media—press, radio, and television—were mobilized for reformist propaganda purposes. The movement to democratize socialism in Czechoslovakia, formerly confined largely to
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Eastern Slovakia had a sizable Roma minority. About 66% of the country's Roma lived in Slovakia in the 1980s, where they constituted about 4% of the population. Estimates of their exact numbers vary, but observers agree that their postwar birthrate has been phenomenal. In the early 1970s, there were
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It is interesting to compare the situation of the 560,000 Hungarians in Czechoslovakia with that of 30,000 Slovaks in Hungary in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, the Hungarians in Czechoslovakia had 386 kindergartens, 131 basic schools, 96 secondary schools, two theatres, one publishing institution and
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The events of the late 1960s brought calls for reform from ethnic minorities. The government's response was Constitutional Act No. 144 (October 1968), which defined the status of ethnic groups in Czechoslovakia and acknowledged the full political and cultural rights of legally recognized minorities.
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had a membership of approximately 7,000 and received no official funds. It published music and promoted concerts and festivals. The government condemned the Jazz Section for spreading "unacceptable views" among the youth and moved against its leadership. In March 1985, the Jazz Section was dissolved
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Independent activity also extended to music. The state was particularly concerned about the impact of Western popular music on Czechoslovak youth. The persecution of rock musicians and their fans led a number of musicians to sign Charter 77. In the forefront of the struggle for independent music was
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in May 1971, party chief Husák announced the 1968 Fourteenth Party Congress had been abrogated, that "normalization" had been "completed" and that all the party needed to do was consolidate its gains. Husák's policy was to maintain a rigid status quo; for the next fifteen years, key personnel of the
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The KSČ party congress remained scheduled for 9 September. In the week following the Bratislava conference, it became an open secret in Prague that most of Dubček's opponents would be removed from the Central Committee. The Prague municipal party organization prepared and circulated a blacklist. The
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arrived in Prague but did not support Novotný, giving a speech to the inner circle of the Communist Party in which he stated: "I did not come to take part in the solution of your problems... ...you will surely manage to solve them on your own." On 5 January 1968, the Central Committee elected Dubček
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of all commercial and industrial enterprises having more than fifty employees. The non-agricultural private sector was nearly eliminated. Private ownership of land was limited to fifty hectares. The remnants of private enterprise and independent farming were permitted to carry on only as a temporary
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and enforced isolation in carefully controlled settlements. The nomadic wandering integral to Roma culture has been illegal since 1958. Laws passed in 1965 and 1969 provided for "dispersion" of the Romani people, i.e., transferring them from areas where they were concentrated to other areas. In the
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further exacerbated the economic decline. Materialism, encouraged by a corrupt government, also produced cynicism, greed, nepotism, corruption, and a lack of work discipline. Whatever elements of a social contract the government tried to establish with Czechoslovak society crumbled with the decline
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KSČ conservatives had misinformed Moscow regarding the strength of the reform movement. The KSČ Presidium met during the night of 20–21 August; it rejected the option of armed resistance and condemned the invasion. Two-thirds of the KSČ Central Committee opposed the Soviet intervention. A KSČ party
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The Action Program stipulated that reform must proceed under KSČ direction. In subsequent months, however, popular pressure mounted to implement reforms forthwith. Radical elements found expression: anti-Soviet polemics appeared in the press; the Social Democrats began to form a separate party; new
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January 1967 was the date for full implementation of the reform program. Novotný and his supporters hesitated, introducing amendments to reinforce central control. Pressure from the reformists was stepped up. Slovaks pressed for federalization. Economists called for complete enterprise autonomy and
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were to be founded on a voluntary basis; formal title to land was left vested in the original owners. The imposition of high compulsory quotas, however, forced peasants to collectivise in order to increase efficiency and facilitate mechanisation. Discriminatory policies were employed to bring about
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attitudes continued prominence. Official denunciations of dissidents having purportedly Jewish names added a distinctly anti-Semitic flavor. One Charter 77 signer was condemned as "an international adventurer" and another, more pointedly, as "a foreigner without fatherland who was never integrated
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was ceded to the Soviet Union after World War II. In 1983 the remaining 48,000 or so Ukrainians and Ruthenians were clustered in north eastern Slovakia. They remained overwhelmingly agricultural; often they were private farmers scattered on small, impoverished holdings in mountainous terrain. They
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that had been drafted by a coalition headed by Dubček and made up of reformers, moderates, centrists, and conservatives. The program proposed a "new model of socialism," profoundly "democratic" and "national," that is, adapted to Czechoslovak conditions. The National Front and the electoral system
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Soviet leader Brezhnev hesitated to intervene militarily in Czechoslovakia. Dubček's Action Program proposed a "new model of socialism"—"democratic" and "national." Significantly, however, Dubček did not challenge Czechoslovak commitment to the Warsaw Pact. In the early spring of 1968, the Soviet
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was held without Czechoslovak participation. The Warsaw Pact nations drafted a letter to the KSČ leadership referring to the manifesto as an "organizational and political platform of counterrevolution." Pact members demanded the reimposition of censorship, the banning of new political parties and
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Another feature of Husák's rule was a continued dependence on the Soviet Union. As of the mid-1980s, Husák had not yet achieved a balance between what could be perceived as Czechoslovak national interest and Soviet dictate. In foreign policy, Czechoslovakia parroted every utterance of the Soviet
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with a heavy emphasis on central planning and continued to extend industrialization. For a while, the policy seemed successful because, despite the lack of investment in new technologies, there was an increase in industrial output. The government encouraged consumerism and materialism and took a
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and from the non-Russian national republics of the western part of the Soviet Union (the Baltic republics). The coalition members feared the awakening of nationalism within their respective republics and the influence of the Ukrainian minority in Czechoslovakia on Ukrainians in the Soviet Union.
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Roma intelligentsia agitated unsuccessfully for inclusion of the Romani People in the 1968 Constitutional Act No. 144, and they remained the largest unrecognized minority in Czechoslovakia. Policy makers have found them a conundrum. The Roma population combines continued high rates of crime and
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KSČ anti-reformists, therefore, made efforts to convince the Soviets that the danger of political instability and "counterrevolution" did indeed exist. They used the Kaspar Report, prepared by the Central Committee's Information Department, headed by Jan Kašpar, to achieve this end. The report
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for KSČ programmes. In 1953, an inner cabinet of the National Assembly, the Presidium, was created. Composed of KSČ leaders, the Presidium served to convey party policies through government channels. Regional, district, and local committees were subordinated to the Ministry of Interior. Slovak
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to work or to take advantage of the relative abundance of Czechoslovak consumer goods. Official policies toward the Poles (resident or not) have attempted to limit their influence both in and out of the workplace. In 1969, for example, a Czech journal reported that a primarily Polish-speaking
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On 3 August, representatives from the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia met in Bratislava and signed the Bratislava Declaration. The declaration affirmed unshakable fidelity to Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism and declared an implacable
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became severely stagnated. The industrial growth rate was the lowest in Eastern Europe. Food imports strained the balance of payments. Pressures both from Moscow and from within the party precipitated a reform movement. In 1963 reform-minded Communist intellectuals produced a proliferation of
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The KSČ "Theses" of December 1965 presented the party response to the call for political reform. Democratic centralism was redefined, placing a stronger emphasis on democracy. The leading role of the KSČ was reaffirmed but limited. In consequence, the National Assembly was promised increased
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in Czechoslovakia were considered Czechoslovak citizens of Romani nationality. After the war, since they did not possess the properties of a nationality according to communist criteria, they were regarded by the communist government as merely a special ethnic group. Based on this, the state
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and cultural differences. In 1968 some Hungarians in Slovakia called for reincorporation into Hungary. This was apparently a minority view; Hungarian Warsaw Pact troops entering Czechoslovakia in 1968 encountered as much hostility from Hungarians in Slovakia as they did from the rest of the
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Although Gottwald originally sought a more independent line, a quick meeting with Stalin in 1948 convinced him otherwise and so he sought to impose the Soviet model on the country as thoroughly as possible. By 1951, Gottwald's health deteriorated and he was suffering from heart disease and
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Although in theory Czechoslovakia remained a multi-party state, in reality the Communists had complete control of the country. Political participation became subject to KSČ approval. The KSČ also prescribed percentage representation for non-Marxist parties. The National Assembly, purged of
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After consolidating power, Klement Gottwald began a series of mass purges against both political opponents and fellow Communists, numbering in the tens of thousands. Children from blacklisted families were denied access to good jobs and higher education, there was widespread emigration to
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Bureaucrats responsible for political stability in Soviet cities and for the ideological supervision of the intellectual community also favoured a military solution. Within the Warsaw Pact, only the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and Poland were strongly interventionist.
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economic responsiveness to the market mechanism. The Fourth Writers' Congress adopted a resolution calling for rehabilitation of the Czechoslovak literary tradition and the establishment of free contact with Western culture. The Novotný regime responded with repressive measures.
1299:, opposition to the government, and independent activity were limited in Czechoslovakia to a fairly small segment of the populace. Even the dissenters saw scant prospect for fundamental reforms. In this sense, the Husák regime was successful in preserving the status quo in " 671:– was drafted in massive numbers. Labour productivity, however, was not significantly increased; nor were production costs reduced. Czechoslovak products were characterised by poor quality. During the early years of Communist rule, many political prisoners were sentenced to 1215:(Padlock Editions), which had published more than 250 volumes. There were a number of clandestine religious publishing houses that published journals in photocopy or printed form. The production and distribution of underground literature was difficult. In most cases, 1639:
made up a large proportion of the town and region's population until the late 1980s/early 1990s. Although defined as "Greeks", the Greek Communist community of Krnov and the Jeseniky region actually consisted of an ethnically diverse population, including
1276:'s invitation and the pope's acceptance were widely circulated in samizdat. A petition requesting the government to permit the papal visit had 17,000 signatories. The Catholic Church did have a massive commemoration of the 1,100th anniversary in 1985. At 798:, a Slovak reformer who had studied in the Soviet Union, challenged Novotný and was accused of nationalism. As university students in Prague demonstrated in support of the liberals, Novotný appealed to Moscow for assistance. On 8 December, Soviet leader 1138:
the state viewed any independent action, no matter how innocuous, as a defiance of the party's control over all aspects of Czechoslovak life. The government's response to such activity was harassment, persecution, and, in some instances, imprisonment.
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had to be typed and retyped without the aid of modern publishing equipment. Publication and distribution were also dangerous. Mere possession of samizdat materials could be the basis for harassment, loss of employment, and arrest and imprisonment.
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The 1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia which ensured protection for Hungarian, Ukrainian, and Polish minority groups in Czechoslovakia. This legislation was often criticized by Slovak extremists who were opposed to minority rights in Slovakia.
878:, Slovak-Soviet border. At the meeting, Dubček defended the program of the reformist wing of the KSČ while pledging commitment to the Warsaw Pact and Comecon. The KSČ leadership, however, was divided. Vigorous reformers—Josef Smrkovský, 505:
Within the next few years, bureaucratic centralism under the direction of KSČ leadership was introduced. So-called "dissident" elements were purged from all levels of society, including the Catholic Church. The ideological principles of
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Minorities were granted the right, with state approval, to their own cultural organizations. The emphasis has been on cultural activities; minority organizations have had no right to represent their members in political affairs.
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By the mid-1970s, consumerism failed as a palliative for political oppression. The government could not sustain an indefinite expansion without coming to grips with limitations inherent in a command economy. The effects of the
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illiteracy with a cultural system that places low value on regular employment. According to Czechoslovak Life, in 1986, "the customs and thinking of the Roma population are somewhat different." A 1979 article in Bratislava's
1444:. Through the mid-1970s, Germans represented a declining proportion of the population; younger Germans increasingly were assimilated into Czech society or emigrated to the West. Even those Germans who were not expelled after 902:, were instructed to evaluate the report for the 20 August meeting of the Presidium. Kolder and Indra viewed the Kašpar Report with alarm and, some observers think, communicated their conclusions to the Soviet ambassador, 436: 1088:. Soviet examples were held up for emulation. During the 1970s and 1980s, many of Czechoslovakia's most creative individuals were silenced, imprisoned, or sent into exile. Some found expression for their art through 1067:
to his post as party chief. He and other party leaders faced the task of rebuilding general party membership after the purges of 1969–71. By 1983, membership had returned to 1.6 million, about the same as in 1960.
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in 1968. In 1975 these were ratified by the Federal Assembly, which, according to the Constitution of 1960, is the highest legislative organization. The Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe's
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Polish governments had concerned Czechoslovak communists since the 1950s, when Poles led the way in resisting increased work demands. The 1980–81 unrest in Poland exacerbated the situation. There were reports of
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In the early 1970s, there was a steady increase in the standard of living; it seemed that the improved economy might mitigate political and cultural oppression and give the government a modicum of legitimacy.
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in Slovakia, the postwar exchange of Slovaks in Hungary for Hungarians in Slovakia met with only limited success; the proportion of Hungarians in the population has changed little since 1930 (see History).
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In preserving the status quo, the Husák regime required conformity and obedience in all aspects of life. Czech and Slovak culture suffered greatly from the limitations on independent thought, as did the
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strict party control of the media, and the suppression of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party. It was agreed that Dubček would remain in office and that a program of moderate reform would continue.
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in the 1980s have had an uneven history in the postwar era. The highly centralized rule of the KSČ undermined the political leverage that the First Republic's multiparty politics had permitted to
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instruction in areas having a substantial German minority. The 1968 Constitutional Act No. 144 recognized the Germans' legal status as an ethnic minority for the first time since World War II.
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The Roma birthrate was reportedly two and one-half to three times the national average; in the mid-1980s, it was 2.6% per year as opposed to 0.7% per year for the population as a whole.
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were the largest enumerated minority ethnic group. In 1989 approximately 560,000 Hungarians (concentrated in southern Slovakia) made up 11% of Slovakia's population. Despite significant
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The Ninth-of-May Constitution declared the government's intention to collectivise agriculture. In February 1949, the National Assembly adopted the Unified Agricultural Cooperatives Act.
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Some anti-Jewish sentiment still existed in the 1980s. The government's vehemently anti-Israeli stance, coupled with a persistent failure to distinguish between Israelis and Jews, gave
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became particularly concerned about controlling and integrating the socialist bloc in the wake of Tito's challenge to his authority. Stalin's paranoia resulted in a campaign against "
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the Jazz Section of the Union of Musicians. Initially organized to promote jazz, in the late 1970s it became a protector of various kinds of nonconformist music. The widely popular
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stated that there were some 5,000 practicing Jews remaining in Czechoslovakia, including about 1,200 in Prague, which once had a large, vibrant Jewish community dating back to the
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community remained in the 1980s. Estimates of both the prewar and the postwar Jewish population are imprecise. Calculations based on either religious preference or the number of
502:, the former governing coalition which was now a broad patriotic organisation under Communist control. Beneš resigned on 2 June, and Gottwald became president twelve days later. 629:. The KSČ rank-and-file membership, approximately 2.5 million in March 1948, began to be subjected to careful scrutiny. By 1960, KSČ membership had been reduced to 1.4 million. 1149: 1103:
In addition to applying repression, Husák also tried to obtain acquiescence to his rule by providing an improved standard of living. He returned Czechoslovakia to an orthodox
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and pervaded cultural and intellectual life. The entire education system was submitted to state control. With the elimination of private ownership of means of production, a
1003:"—the restoration of continuity with the prereform period—was initiated. Normalization entailed thoroughgoing political repression and the return to ideological conformity 2358: 1900:, 2 Bde. (Köln / Weimar / Wien: Böhlau 2008) (Veröffentlichungen des Ludwig-Boltzmann-Instituts für Kriegsfolgen-Forschung, Graz – Wien – Klagenfurt; Sonderband 9/1, 9/2). 1983: 1244:
were required to be licensed. In attempting to manipulate the number and kind of clergy, the state even sponsored a pro-government organization of Catholic priests, the
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demonstrated on May Day of 1956, demanding freedom of speech and access to the Western press. The Novotný regime condemned these activities and introduced a policy of
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Following the Soviet example, Czechoslovakia began emphasising the rapid development of heavy industry. The industrial sector was reorganised with an emphasis on
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and one of the Slovak "bourgeois nationalists" imprisoned by the KSČ in the 1950s), was named first secretary (title changed to general secretary in 1971). Only
2351: 702:" – power emanating from the people but bound by the authority of higher organs – was made a formal part of constitutional law. The President, the Cabinet, the 1607:
into the Czech community"—notorious euphemisms long used in anti-Jewish rhetoric. Officials alleged that the signers were under orders from "anticommunist and
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on 11 March 1985, presented the Husák regime with a new and unexpected challenge to the status quo. Soon after assuming office, Gorbachev began a policy of
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and attempted to gain control of the writers' congress. The writers' rebellion was suppressed, however, and the conservatives retained control. Students in
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Industrial growth in Czechoslovakia required substantial additional labour. Czechoslovaks were subjected to long hours and long working weeks to meet
660:(almost 300 percent) and more than equalled by Austria and Greece. For the 1954–59 period, France and Italy equalled Czechoslovak industrial growth. 2601: 2546: 2431: 1371: 253: 181: 1733: 79: 1052: 703: 364: 2496: 2298: 915: 523: 385: 299: 159: 1976: 1740: 86: 478:
and appointed a Cabinet dominated by Communists. While it was nominally still a coalition, the "non-Communists" in the cabinet were mostly
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was intended to prevent citizens of the Eastern Bloc from emigrating to the West. The sign is from the beginning of the 1980s and reads:
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activities." The Jazz Section continued to operate, however, and in 1986 the government arrested the members of its steering committee.
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Closely associated with Charter 77, the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Persecuted (Výbor na obranu nespravedlivě stíhaných—
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of the country. Although it was mostly a formality during the normalization period, Czechoslovakia had been federalized under the
2576: 2571: 2566: 2561: 2556: 2401: 2249: 1969: 965: 243: 2581: 2442: 2406: 2113: 1261: 695: 499: 491: 425: 284: 1100:—a poet identified with reformism and not favored by the Husák regime—was a bright spot in an otherwise bleak cultural scene. 1092:. Those artists, poets, and writers who were officially sanctioned were, for the most part, undistinguished. The award of the 2203: 1711: 1300: 1000: 969: 959: 779:
In 1965, the party approved the New Economic Model, which had been drafted under the direction of economist and theoretician
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reportedly was signed by 243 people; among them were artists, former public officials, and other prominent figures, such as
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offered possibilities for thought and activities independent of the state, it too was severely restricted and controlled.
621:
and thirteen other prominent Communist personalities in November and December 1952. Slánský and ten other defendants were
494:, and also gave the Communist Party the leading role in the state. For these reasons, Beneš refused to sign the so-called 340: 1747: 822:
the party intelligentsia, acquired a new, popular dynamism in the spring of 1968. In April the KSČ Presidium adopted the
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had amounted to 3 million citizens, having had played a large role in the area for centuries, as well as the decrease
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De-Stalinization had a late start in Czechoslovakia. The KSČ leadership virtually ignored the Soviet law announced by
718: 657: 263: 191: 2421: 1047:(i.e., federal parliament), which replaced the National Assembly, was intended to work in close cooperation with the 428:, thousands of Czechoslovaks faced political persecution for various offences, such as trying to emigrate across the 1486:
Czechoslovak officialdom considered Polish influence in the workplace an insidious danger. The "seepage" from more
1404: 1093: 1700: 1253: 868: 571: 46: 2312: 2294: 2012: 1875: 871:—party leaders of East Germany and Poland, respectively—viewed liberalism as threatening to their own positions. 764: 495: 171: 148: 2308: 1471: 1395: 1568: 846: 838:, a lifelong communist and a candidate member of the Central Committee, published a manifesto entitled the " 823: 535: 1474:. In addition to a large community of resident Poles, a substantial number commuted across the border from 879: 2214: 1273: 1048: 839: 1869: 1591:
and Slovakia. Most estimates put the pre–World War II population in the neighborhood of 250,000. In 1975
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approximately 200,000 to 300,000 Roma in the country. In 1980 estimates ranged from 250,000 to 400,000.
1193: 925: 699: 598: 586: 444: 1836: 610: 575: 498:. Nevertheless, elections were held on 30 May, and voters were presented with a single list from the 1934: 1230: 1189: 1176:
newspapers. The document was immediately translated and reprinted throughout the world. The original
883: 835: 734: 618: 483: 733:. In Czechoslovakia that April, at the Second Writers' Congress, several authors criticized acts of 2170: 1567:
and suffered in the 1950s and 1960s from the government's repression of that group in favor of the
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The CWIHP at the Wilson Center for Scholars Document Collection on Czechoslovakia in the Cold War
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Following the expulsion of the ethnic German population from Czechoslovakia, parts of the former
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mountain region in northeastern Czechoslovakia, were settled in 1949 by Communist refugees from
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as a protest against the end of the reforms of the Prague Spring following the Soviet invasion.
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approached the matter not as a question of nationality but as a social and political question.
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The 1958 KSČ Party Congress (XI. Congress, 18 June − 21 June) formalized the continuation of
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in 1945, Czechoslovakia lost over one-fifth of its population. Some 165,000 Germans escaped
1408: 1158: 1097: 947: 929: 875: 664: 606: 594: 507: 475: 201: 551:, and the educational system was reformed to give opportunities to working-class students. 539:
autonomy was constrained; the KSS was reunited with the KSČ but retained its own identity.
530:
in 1955. The attainment of Soviet-style "socialism" became the government's avowed policy.
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Copied from the US Library of Congress Country Studies, Dissent and Independent Activity,
1661: 1632: 1628: 1467: 1452: 1117: 1104: 1081: 1077: 943: 864: 799: 649: 633: 563: 515: 511: 479: 471: 1893:(Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield, 2004) (The Harvard Cold War Studies Book Series). 1847: 714: 2134: 1993: 1917: 1592: 1480: 1142: 1108:
tolerant attitude toward a slack work ethic and a growing black market second economy:
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The Soviet Union agreed to bilateral talks with Czechoslovakia to be held in July at
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in addition to alcoholism. He made few public appearances in his final year of life.
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antireformist coalition could hope to stay in power only with Soviet assistance.
2520: 2089: 1907:(Yale-Hoover Series on Authoritarian Regimes). New Haven: Yale University Press. 1891:
The Struggle for the Soul of the Nation: Czech Culture and the Rise of Communism
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consolidate the Husák leadership and remove reformers from leadership positions;
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Archiv ČT 24 – Archive of The Czech Television – TV News from the socialist era
1378:
populations of Czechoslovakia would have limited their influence in any event.
641:
and the peasantry. The Czechoslovak economy was determined by five-year plans.
581:
Czechoslovak interests were subordinated to the interests of the Soviet Union.
2293:ČSR; declared a "people's democracy" (without a formal name change) under the 1551: 1487: 1375: 1265: 1256:, the Czech primate, adopted a more independent stand. In 1984 he invited the 1169: 1073: 1036: 940: 780: 742: 645: 602: 1923: 1837:
Chapter Communist Czechoslovakia, in A Country Study: Czechoslovakia (Former)
1451:
In 1968–69, Germans demanded more German-language publications and mandatory
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party and government remained the same. In 1975, Husák added the position of
2375: 1248:. Nevertheless, there was religious opposition, including a lively Catholic 1241: 1177: 1023: 985: 973: 757: 487: 776:
in September 1963. The KSČ organized committees to review economic policy.
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had been suppressed by Russian tanks and troops, many Czechs lost courage.
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as head of the KSČ. Novotný became President in 1957 when Zápotocký died.
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attended a commemorative mass, and another 100,000 came to a ceremony at
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Group of Soviet Forces in Czechoslovakia - Central Group of Forces (CGF)
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and remained scattered along the country's western border in the former
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The history of the Committee for the Defence of the Unjustly Persecuted
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In the context of international detente, Czechoslovakia had signed the
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Act on Lawlessness of the Communist Regime and on Resistance Against It
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to come to Czechoslovakia for the 1,100th anniversary of the death of
2317: 1649: 1555: 1522: 1475: 1292: 1285: 1272:. The pope accepted, but the trip was blocked by the government. The 738: 567: 1031:
One of the few changes proposed by the Action Programme during the
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party leader Petro Shelest and included communist bureaucrats from
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determined that the communist government was illegal and that the
1863:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
1161:), signed by Czechoslovakia in 1975, also included guarantees of 968:, following Czechoslovakia's victory over the Soviet team in the 924:
Popular opposition was expressed in numerous spontaneous acts of
1448:
were not permitted to hold Czechoslovak citizenship until 1953.
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have not been easy; the two groups are separated by substantial
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At the 30–31 October 1967 meeting of the KSČ Central Committee,
2347: 1965: 1172:. On 6 January 1977, a manifesto called Charter 77 appeared in 1905:
Security Empire: The Secret Police in Communist Eastern Europe
1683: 1623:, especially around Krnov and the surrounding villages of the 1580: 29: 1168:
The first organized opposition emerged under the umbrella of
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The 1980s were more or less a period of economic stagnation.
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A very small fraction of Czechoslovakia's pre–World War II
1280:(allegedly the site of Methodius's tomb) more than 150,000 1587:
speakers ignored the large numbers of assimilated Jews in
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expand Czechoslovakia's ties with other socialist nations.
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revoke or modify the laws enacted by the reform movement;
1950: 1466:(approximately 71,000 in 1984) were concentrated in the 1211:
publishing houses were in operation. The best known was
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Law of Federation of 27 October 1968. The newly created
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20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
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Dominik Jůn interviewing Professor Jan Rychlík (2016).
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declared the victory of "socialism" and proclaimed the
2374:
Countries of Eastern and Central Europe during their
1937:(The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes) 1848:
https://english.radio.cz/story-greeks-czechia-8703203
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to create two districts, each with a Czech majority.
910:
Warsaw Pact intervention and the end of Prague Spring
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Prager Frühling. Das internationale Krisenjahr 1968
1714:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 1324:("restructuring") the Soviet economy and advocated 474:gave in to the demands of Communist Prime Minister 60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 1366:. Beyond this, however, the sheer decrease in the 1354:The roughly 6% of the population who were neither 1184:, secretary of the KSČ Central Committee in 1968; 1133:Dissent and independent activity (1970s and 1980s) 972:in March, precipitated Soviet pressures for a KSČ 465:WARNING! Border Zone. Enter only on authorization. 1146:Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights 1013:reestablish centralized control over the economy; 964:Dubček remained in office only until April 1969. 845:The Soviet leadership was alarmed. In mid-July a 1804:"Czechs and Slovaks - more than just neighbours" 1631:who had left their homeland as a result of the 632:The Ninth-of-May Constitution provided for the 461:Czechoslovak border to West Germany and Austria 2262:ČSR; boundaries and government established by 1930:Post Bellum – Stories of the Twentieth Century 1534:Official policy has vacillated between forced 1246:Association of Catholic Clergy Pacem in Terris 1016:reinstate the power of police authorities; and 2359: 1977: 1797: 1795: 1793: 1791: 667:. Part-time, volunteer labour – students and 566:, a week after attending Stalin's funeral in 365: 8: 2366: 2352: 2344: 2225:1944 / 1946 – 1991 1984: 1970: 1962: 1723:"History of Czechoslovakia" 1948–1989 1188:, a Central Committee member in 1968; and 1084:. Art had to adhere to a rigid formula of 490:and, ultimately, communism – ruled by the 372: 358: 133: 69:"History of Czechoslovakia" 1948–1989 1774:Learn how and when to remove this message 120:Learn how and when to remove this message 2005: 713: 514:was introduced. Czechoslovakia became a 2278:of Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia. 1787: 562:Gottwald died on 14 March 1953 from an 147: 136: 1479:district in the Ostrava area had been 1150:Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 916:Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia 524:Council for Mutual Economic Assistance 1345:Slovaks in Czechoslovakia (1960-1990) 1121:in living standards of the mid-1970s. 7: 2125:Czech and Slovak Federative Republic 1935:Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů 1712:adding citations to reliable sources 751:Hungarian Revolution of October 1956 58:adding citations to reliable sources 2552:History of Czechoslovakia by period 2158:Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia 1316:Communist Party of the Soviet Union 1035:that was actually achieved was the 692:1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia 18:History of Czechoslovakia (1948–89) 1470:on the northeastern border of the 522:; it was a founding member of the 406:Komunistická strana Československa 25: 601:", were arrested and executed in 441:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia 398:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia 2441: 2385: 1858: 1688: 1550:Czechoslovakia lost most of its 625:, while three were sentenced to 254:Czechoslovak government-in-exile 158: 34: 2602:Contemporary history by country 2547:Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 2114:Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 1699:needs additional citations for 696:Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 492:dictatorship of the proletariat 470:On 25 February 1948, President 412:). The country belonged to the 285:Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 45:needs additional citations for 1229:under a 1968 statute banning " 970:World Ice Hockey Championships 960:Normalization (Czechoslovakia) 27:Aspect of Czechoslovak history 1: 1945:Blinken Open Society Archives 1896:Stefan Karner et al. (eds.), 1674:Operation Neptune (Espionage) 526:(Comecon) in 1949 and of the 486:– a preliminary step towards 341:Dissolution of Czechoslovakia 1558:(Ruthenian) population when 996:continued in the Presidium. 939:On 19 January 1969, student 698:. The ambiguous precept of " 617:against KSČ first secretary 613:). Most spectacular was the 386:coup d'état in February 1948 212:Second Czechoslovak Republic 2592:Socialism in Czechoslovakia 2587:Communism in Czechoslovakia 2303:ČSSR; from 1969, after the 1058:At the official Fourteenth 426:era of Communist Party rule 264:Third Czechoslovak Republic 192:First Czechoslovak Republic 2618: 2597:Politics of Czechoslovakia 1405:Hungarian-Slovak relations 1342: 1301:normalized" Czechoslovakia 1094:Nobel Prize for Literature 966:Anti-Soviet demonstrations 957: 913: 814: 589:" which culminated in the 534:dissidents, became a mere 2511: 2492: 2450: 2439: 2392: 2383: 2313:Slovak Socialist Republic 2295:Ninth-of-May Constitution 2291: 2260: 2256: 2248: 2228: 2219: 2198: 2191: 2175: 2168: 2155: 2140: 2133: 2122: 2111: 2100: 2093: 2088: 2081: 2076: 2061: 2052: 2045: 2038: 2031: 2024: 2017: 2010: 2003: 1876:Federal Research Division 1495:among the workers in the 1252:. In the 1980s, Cardinal 765:Economy of Czechoslovakia 683:the ruin of recalcitrant 496:Ninth-of-May Constitution 172:Origins of Czechoslovakia 2309:Czech Socialist Republic 1472:Czech Socialist Republic 1396:anti-Hungarian sentiment 772:replaced Prime Minister 763:In the early 1960s, the 729:25 February 1956 at the 416:and was a member of the 2577:1980s in Czechoslovakia 2572:1970s in Czechoslovakia 2567:1960s in Czechoslovakia 2562:1950s in Czechoslovakia 2557:1940s in Czechoslovakia 1926:(in Czech Paměť národa) 1569:Eastern Orthodox Church 1288:(in eastern Slovakia). 1053:Slovak National Council 704:Slovak National Council 2582:1990 in Czechoslovakia 2215:Subcarpathian Ruthenia 2200:Southern Slovakia and 1080:, and ultimately even 1049:Czech National Council 1028: 1027:Czechoslovakia in 1969 847:Warsaw Pact conference 722: 599:bourgeois nationalists 587:rootless cosmopolitans 570:. He was succeeded by 467: 405: 182:Washington Declaration 2264:the 1920 constitution 1941:RFE Czechoslovak Unit 1656:and Turkish speaking 1546:Ukrainians and Rusyns 1507:Before World War II, 1026: 926:nonviolent resistance 717: 700:democratic centralism 458: 445:criminal organisation 1708:improve this article 1231:counterrevolutionary 946:on fire in Prague's 735:political repression 669:white-collar workers 574:as President and by 319:      294:      273:      242:      231:      54:improve this article 2307:, consisted of the 2252:government-in-exile 1889:Bradley F. Abrams, 1499:area in late 1980. 1370:, who before their 1207:mid-1980s, several 1157:(also known as the 384:From the Communist 331:Federative Republic 233:Bohemia and Moravia 2287:(1939–1945). 2276:autonomous regions 2274:ČSR; included the 2234:1991–present 2230:Zakarpattia Oblast 2221:Zakarpattia Oblast 2204:Carpathian Ukraine 2177:Kingdom of Hungary 1903:Pucci, M. (2020). 1194:Two Thousand Words 1029: 904:Stepan Chervonenko 840:Two Thousand Words 723: 639:petite bourgeoisie 637:concession to the 468: 2534: 2533: 2341: 2340: 2336: 2335: 2235: 2226: 2189: 2164: 2153: 2131: 2120: 2109: 1784: 1783: 1776: 1758: 1646:Slavo-Macedonians 1642:Greek Macedonians 1364:ethnic minorities 1312:general secretary 1308:Mikhail Gorbachev 1306:The selection of 1254:František Tomášek 1086:socialist realism 884:František Kriegel 869:Władysław Gomułka 727:Nikita Khrushchev 665:production quotas 627:life imprisonment 591:conspiracy theory 572:Antonín Zápotocký 484:people's republic 396:was ruled by the 390:Velvet Revolution 382: 381: 349: 348: 310:Velvet Revolution 222:German occupation 130: 129: 122: 104: 16:(Redirected from 2609: 2445: 2389: 2368: 2361: 2354: 2345: 2253: 2233: 2224: 2207: 2206: 2187: 2162: 2151: 2147: 2129: 2118: 2107: 2006: 1986: 1979: 1972: 1963: 1924:Memory of Nation 1879: 1862: 1861: 1851: 1845: 1839: 1833: 1827: 1822: 1816: 1815: 1813: 1811: 1799: 1779: 1772: 1768: 1765: 1759: 1757: 1716: 1692: 1684: 1560:Carpatho-Ukraine 1527:involved in the 1159:Helsinki Accords 1098:Jaroslav Seifert 1082:natural sciences 1045:Federal Assembly 976:reorganization. 948:Wenceslas Square 930:civil resistance 876:Cierna nad Tisou 824:Action Programme 796:Alexander Dubček 710:De-Stalinization 508:Marxism-Leninism 480:fellow travelers 476:Klement Gottwald 374: 367: 360: 202:Munich Agreement 168: 167: 162: 152: 134: 125: 118: 114: 111: 105: 103: 62: 38: 30: 21: 2617: 2616: 2612: 2611: 2610: 2608: 2607: 2606: 2537: 2536: 2535: 2530: 2507: 2504: 2488: 2485: 2446: 2437: 2434: 2390: 2379: 2372: 2342: 2337: 2331: 2325: 2316: 2302: 2288: 2279: 2273: 2267: 2251: 2243:Austria-Hungary 2232: 2223: 2202: 2201: 2188:1939–1945 2186: 2183:Slovak Republic 2163:1939–1945 2161: 2152:1938–1939 2150: 2145: 2144: 2130:1990–1992 2128: 2119:1960–1990 2117: 2108:1948–1960 2106: 2103:Fourth Republic 2078:Austrian Empire 2070: 2066: 2048:1989–1992 2041:1948–1989 2034:1945–1948 2027:1938–1945 2020:1918–1938 1999: 1990: 1914: 1886: 1871:Country Studies 1868: 1859: 1855: 1854: 1846: 1842: 1834: 1830: 1823: 1819: 1809: 1807: 1801: 1800: 1789: 1780: 1769: 1763: 1760: 1717: 1715: 1705: 1693: 1682: 1670: 1662:Caucasus Greeks 1633:Greek Civil War 1629:Northern Greece 1617: 1577: 1563:were generally 1548: 1505: 1468:Cieszyn Silesia 1461: 1453:German language 1426: 1388: 1352: 1347: 1341: 1336: 1262:Saint Methodius 1135: 1118:1973 oil crisis 1105:command economy 1078:social sciences 962: 956: 918: 912: 865:Walter Ulbricht 819: 813: 800:Leonid Brezhnev 712: 650:heavy machinery 634:nationalisation 611:Milada Horáková 593:of the alleged 576:Antonín Novotný 564:aortic aneurysm 516:satellite state 512:planned economy 453: 378: 321:Post-revolution 244:Slovak Republic 150: 143: 126: 115: 109: 106: 63: 61: 51: 39: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 2615: 2613: 2605: 2604: 2599: 2594: 2589: 2584: 2579: 2574: 2569: 2564: 2559: 2554: 2549: 2539: 2538: 2532: 2531: 2529: 2528: 2523: 2518: 2512: 2509: 2508: 2506: 2505: 2499: 2493: 2490: 2489: 2487: 2486: 2480: 2475: 2470: 2465: 2451: 2448: 2447: 2440: 2438: 2436: 2435: 2429: 2424: 2419: 2414: 2409: 2407:Czechoslovakia 2404: 2399: 2393: 2391: 2384: 2381: 2380: 2373: 2371: 2370: 2363: 2356: 2348: 2339: 2338: 2334: 2333: 2297:following the 2290: 2258: 2257: 2255: 2247: 2245: 2240: 2237: 2236: 2227: 2218: 2210: 2209: 2196: 2195: 2190: 2179: 2174: 2166: 2165: 2154: 2146: Republic 2138: 2137: 2135:Czech Republic 2132: 2121: 2110: 2099: 2096:Third Republic 2092: 2087: 2084:First Republic 2080: 2075: 2059: 2058: 2051: 2044: 2037: 2030: 2023: 2016: 2009: 2004: 2001: 2000: 1991: 1989: 1988: 1981: 1974: 1966: 1960: 1959: 1954: 1948: 1938: 1932: 1927: 1921: 1913: 1912:External links 1910: 1909: 1908: 1901: 1894: 1885: 1882: 1881: 1880: 1853: 1852: 1840: 1828: 1817: 1806:. Radio Prague 1786: 1785: 1782: 1781: 1696: 1694: 1687: 1681: 1678: 1677: 1676: 1669: 1666: 1616: 1613: 1593:Malcolm Browne 1576: 1573: 1547: 1544: 1504: 1501: 1460: 1457: 1425: 1422: 1390:In the 1980s, 1387: 1384: 1351: 1348: 1343:Main article: 1340: 1337: 1335: 1332: 1190:Ludvík Vaculík 1143:United Nations 1134: 1131: 1126: 1125: 1122: 1113: 1060:Party Congress 1041:Constitutional 1037:federalization 1021: 1020: 1017: 1014: 1011: 1008: 999:A program of " 958:Main article: 955: 952: 928:, also called 914:Main article: 911: 908: 880:Oldřich Černík 836:Ludvík Vaculík 815:Main article: 812: 809: 805:Ludvík Svoboda 711: 708: 619:Rudolf Slánský 500:National Front 452: 449: 394:Czechoslovakia 380: 379: 377: 376: 369: 362: 354: 351: 350: 347: 346: 343: 337: 336: 333: 327: 326: 323: 316: 315: 312: 306: 305: 302: 291: 290: 287: 281: 280: 277: 270: 269: 266: 260: 259: 256: 250: 249: 246: 239: 238: 235: 228: 227: 224: 218: 217: 214: 208: 207: 204: 198: 197: 194: 188: 187: 184: 178: 177: 174: 164: 163: 155: 154: 151:Czechoslovakia 145: 144: 137: 128: 127: 110:September 2011 42: 40: 33: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 2614: 2603: 2600: 2598: 2595: 2593: 2590: 2588: 2585: 2583: 2580: 2578: 2575: 2573: 2570: 2568: 2565: 2563: 2560: 2558: 2555: 2553: 2550: 2548: 2545: 2544: 2542: 2527: 2524: 2522: 2519: 2517: 2514: 2513: 2510: 2503: 2500: 2498: 2495: 2494: 2491: 2484: 2481: 2479: 2476: 2474: 2471: 2469: 2466: 2464: 2460: 2456: 2455:Soviet Russia 2453: 2452: 2449: 2444: 2433: 2430: 2428: 2425: 2423: 2420: 2418: 2415: 2413: 2410: 2408: 2405: 2403: 2400: 2398: 2395: 2394: 2388: 2382: 2377: 2369: 2364: 2362: 2357: 2355: 2350: 2349: 2346: 2332: 2329: 2323: 2322:Ukrainian SSR 2319: 2314: 2310: 2306: 2305:Prague Spring 2300: 2296: 2289: 2286: 2282: 2277: 2271: 2265: 2259: 2254: 2250:Czechoslovak 2246: 2244: 2241: 2239: 2238: 2231: 2222: 2217: 2216: 2212: 2211: 2208: 2205: 2197: 2194: 2185: 2184: 2180: 2178: 2173: 2172: 2167: 2160: 2159: 2149: 2148: 2139: 2136: 2127: 2126: 2116: 2115: 2105: 2104: 2098: 2097: 2091: 2086: 2085: 2079: 2074: 2073: 2069: 2065: 2060: 2057: 2056: 2050: 2049: 2043: 2042: 2036: 2035: 2029: 2028: 2022: 2021: 2015: 2014: 2008: 2007: 2002: 1998: 1995: 1987: 1982: 1980: 1975: 1973: 1968: 1967: 1964: 1958: 1955: 1952: 1949: 1946: 1942: 1939: 1936: 1933: 1931: 1928: 1925: 1922: 1919: 1916: 1915: 1911: 1906: 1902: 1899: 1895: 1892: 1888: 1887: 1883: 1877: 1873: 1872: 1866: 1865:public domain 1857: 1856: 1849: 1844: 1841: 1838: 1832: 1829: 1826: 1821: 1818: 1805: 1798: 1796: 1794: 1792: 1788: 1778: 1775: 1767: 1756: 1753: 1749: 1746: 1742: 1739: 1735: 1732: 1728: 1725: –  1724: 1720: 1719:Find sources: 1713: 1709: 1703: 1702: 1697:This article 1695: 1691: 1686: 1685: 1679: 1675: 1672: 1671: 1667: 1665: 1663: 1659: 1655: 1654:Pontic Greeks 1651: 1647: 1643: 1638: 1634: 1630: 1626: 1622: 1614: 1612: 1610: 1605: 1600: 1598: 1594: 1590: 1586: 1582: 1574: 1572: 1570: 1566: 1561: 1557: 1553: 1545: 1543: 1540: 1537: 1532: 1530: 1525: 1524: 1517: 1513: 1510: 1509:Romani people 1502: 1500: 1498: 1494: 1489: 1484: 1482: 1481:gerrymandered 1477: 1473: 1469: 1465: 1458: 1456: 1454: 1449: 1447: 1443: 1439: 1435: 1431: 1423: 1421: 1417: 1413: 1410: 1406: 1400: 1397: 1393: 1385: 1383: 1379: 1377: 1373: 1369: 1365: 1361: 1357: 1349: 1346: 1338: 1334:Ethnic groups 1333: 1331: 1329: 1328: 1323: 1322: 1317: 1313: 1309: 1304: 1302: 1298: 1294: 1289: 1287: 1283: 1279: 1275: 1271: 1267: 1263: 1259: 1255: 1251: 1247: 1243: 1239: 1234: 1232: 1227: 1221: 1218: 1214: 1213:Edice Petlice 1210: 1204: 1202: 1197: 1195: 1192:, author of " 1191: 1187: 1186:Václav Slavík 1183: 1182:Zdeněk Mlynář 1179: 1175: 1171: 1166: 1164: 1160: 1156: 1151: 1147: 1144: 1139: 1132: 1130: 1123: 1119: 1114: 1111: 1110: 1109: 1106: 1101: 1099: 1095: 1091: 1087: 1083: 1079: 1075: 1069: 1066: 1061: 1056: 1054: 1050: 1046: 1042: 1038: 1034: 1033:Prague Spring 1025: 1018: 1015: 1012: 1009: 1006: 1005: 1004: 1002: 1001:normalization 997: 995: 991: 987: 983: 979: 975: 971: 967: 961: 954:Normalization 953: 951: 949: 945: 942: 937: 933: 931: 927: 922: 917: 909: 907: 905: 901: 895: 891: 887: 885: 881: 877: 872: 870: 866: 861: 857: 851: 848: 843: 841: 837: 832: 828: 825: 818: 817:Prague Spring 811:Prague Spring 810: 808: 806: 801: 797: 792: 788: 784: 782: 777: 775: 774:Viliam Široký 771: 766: 761: 759: 754: 752: 749:. After the 748: 747:neo-Stalinism 744: 740: 736: 732: 728: 720: 716: 709: 707: 705: 701: 697: 693: 688: 686: 681: 676: 674: 670: 666: 661: 659: 655: 651: 647: 642: 640: 635: 630: 628: 624: 620: 616: 615:Slánský trial 612: 608: 607:Heliodor Píka 604: 600: 596: 595:Doctors' plot 592: 588: 584: 583:Joseph Stalin 579: 577: 573: 569: 565: 560: 558: 552: 550: 546: 540: 537: 531: 529: 525: 521: 517: 513: 509: 503: 501: 497: 493: 489: 485: 481: 477: 473: 466: 462: 457: 451:Stalinization 450: 448: 446: 442: 438: 433: 431: 427: 424:. During the 423: 419: 415: 411: 407: 403: 399: 395: 391: 387: 375: 370: 368: 363: 361: 356: 355: 353: 352: 344: 342: 339: 338: 334: 332: 329: 328: 324: 322: 318: 317: 313: 311: 308: 307: 303: 301: 297: 296:Prague Spring 293: 292: 288: 286: 283: 282: 278: 276: 272: 271: 267: 265: 262: 261: 257: 255: 252: 251: 247: 245: 241: 240: 236: 234: 230: 229: 225: 223: 220: 219: 215: 213: 210: 209: 205: 203: 200: 199: 195: 193: 190: 189: 185: 183: 180: 179: 175: 173: 170: 169: 166: 165: 161: 157: 156: 153: 146: 141: 135: 132: 124: 121: 113: 102: 99: 95: 92: 88: 85: 81: 78: 74: 71: –  70: 66: 65:Find sources: 59: 55: 49: 48: 43:This article 41: 37: 32: 31: 19: 2516:Eastern Bloc 2459:Soviet Union 2412:East Germany 2292: 2270:Nazi Germany 2261: 2213: 2199: 2181: 2169: 2156: 2141: 2123: 2112: 2101: 2094: 2082: 2062: 2053: 2046: 2040: 2039: 2032: 2025: 2018: 2011: 1994:Czechoslovak 1992:Timeline of 1953:VONS, Prague 1904: 1897: 1890: 1884:Bibliography 1870: 1843: 1831: 1820: 1808:. Retrieved 1770: 1761: 1751: 1744: 1737: 1730: 1718: 1706:Please help 1701:verification 1698: 1618: 1604:anti-Semitic 1601: 1578: 1549: 1541: 1536:assimilation 1533: 1529:black market 1521: 1518: 1514: 1506: 1485: 1462: 1450: 1446:World War II 1427: 1418: 1414: 1412:population. 1401: 1389: 1380: 1353: 1325: 1319: 1305: 1290: 1235: 1226:Jazz Section 1222: 1205: 1198: 1167: 1163:human rights 1154: 1140: 1136: 1127: 1102: 1070: 1057: 1030: 998: 978:Gustáv Husák 963: 938: 934: 923: 919: 896: 892: 888: 873: 852: 844: 834:On 27 June, 833: 829: 820: 793: 789: 785: 778: 770:Jozef Lenart 762: 755: 724: 689: 680:Cooperatives 677: 673:penal labour 662: 658:West Germany 643: 631: 580: 561: 553: 545:West Germany 541: 536:rubber stamp 532: 520:Soviet Union 504: 472:Edvard Beneš 469: 464: 434: 430:Iron Curtain 414:Eastern Bloc 409: 383: 131: 116: 107: 97: 90: 83: 76: 64: 52:Please help 47:verification 44: 2521:Warsaw Pact 2497:Byelorussia 2268:Annexed by 2090:Sudetenland 2055:1993– 1621:Sudetenland 1597:Middle Ages 1442:Sudetenland 1438:deportation 1321:perestroika 1217:manuscripts 1174:West German 1096:in 1984 to 994:Vasil Bilak 944:set himself 900:Alois Indra 654:coal mining 603:show trials 528:Warsaw Pact 418:Warsaw Pact 275:Coup d'état 149:History of 2541:Categories 2432:Yugoslavia 2326:Oblast of 2311:(ČSR) and 1947:, Budapest 1920:, in Czech 1810:28 October 1734:newspapers 1680:References 1611:centers". 1409:linguistic 1403:Slovakia, 1392:Hungarians 1386:Hungarians 1350:Minorities 1291:Unlike in 1266:missionary 1170:Charter 77 1074:humanities 990:hardliners 941:Jan Palach 743:Bratislava 719:Spartakiad 646:metallurgy 80:newspapers 2483:1982–1991 2478:1964–1982 2473:1953–1964 2468:1927–1953 2463:1917–1927 2376:Communist 2299:1948 coup 1997:statehood 1552:Ukrainian 1430:expulsion 1428:With the 1376:Ukrainian 1372:expulsion 1242:Clergymen 1178:manifesto 1155:Final Act 1065:president 986:centrists 974:Presidium 856:Ukrainian 758:Stalinism 488:socialism 435:The 1993 392:in 1989, 335:1990–1992 325:1989–1992 289:1948–1989 268:1945–1948 258:1939–1945 248:1939–1945 237:1939–1945 226:1938–1945 216:1938–1939 196:1918–1938 2402:Bulgaria 2193:Slovakia 2171:Slovakia 2013:Pre-1918 1764:May 2007 1668:See also 1635:. These 1327:glasnost 1282:pilgrims 1278:Velehrad 1274:cardinal 1250:samizdat 1238:religion 1236:Because 1209:samizdat 1148:and the 1090:samizdat 1051:and the 988:and the 982:centrist 623:executed 557:syphilis 300:Invasion 140:a series 138:Part of 2526:Comecon 2502:Ukraine 2427:Romania 2417:Hungary 2397:Albania 2328:Ukraine 2320:of the 2285:Hungary 2281:Annexed 2072:Silesia 2068:Moravia 2064:Bohemia 1748:scholar 1625:Jesenik 1609:Zionist 1589:Bohemia 1585:Yiddish 1565:Uniates 1497:Ostrava 1493:strikes 1488:liberal 1434:Germans 1432:of the 1424:Germans 1339:Slovaks 1314:of the 1297:dissent 1268:to the 992:led by 860:Belarus 781:Ota Šik 721:in 1960 605:(e.g., 549:Austria 518:of the 422:Comecon 420:and of 388:to the 94:scholar 2422:Poland 2378:period 2318:Oblast 2315:(SSR). 2143:Second 1867:. 1750:  1743:  1736:  1729:  1721:  1650:Vlachs 1637:Greeks 1615:Greeks 1581:Jewish 1523:Pravda 1476:Poland 1368:German 1360:Slovak 1293:Poland 1286:Levoca 1264:, the 882:, and 739:Prague 685:kulaks 652:, and 568:Moscow 443:was a 142:on the 96:  89:  82:  75:  67:  1755:JSTOR 1741:books 1658:Urums 1556:Rusyn 1464:Poles 1459:Poles 1356:Czech 1270:Slavs 980:, (a 402:Czech 101:JSTOR 87:books 1812:2016 1727:news 1575:Jews 1554:and 1503:Roma 1358:nor 1258:Pope 1201:VONS 867:and 741:and 690:The 547:and 459:The 345:1992 314:1989 304:1968 279:1948 206:1938 186:1918 176:1918 73:news 2283:by 1710:by 1660:or 1310:as 410:KSČ 56:by 2543:: 2461:: 2457:/ 1943:, 1874:. 1850:. 1790:^ 1664:. 1652:, 1648:, 1644:, 1599:. 1571:. 1531:. 1303:. 1295:, 1165:. 1076:, 807:. 760:. 675:. 648:, 609:, 447:. 432:. 408:, 404:: 2367:e 2360:t 2353:v 2330:. 2324:. 2301:. 2272:. 2266:. 1985:e 1978:t 1971:v 1878:. 1814:. 1777:) 1771:( 1766:) 1762:( 1752:· 1745:· 1738:· 1731:· 1704:. 400:( 373:e 366:t 359:v 298:/ 123:) 117:( 112:) 108:( 98:· 91:· 84:· 77:· 50:. 20:)

Index

History of Czechoslovakia (1948–89)

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"History of Czechoslovakia" 1948–1989
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History of Czechoslovakia

Origins of Czechoslovakia
Washington Declaration
First Czechoslovak Republic
Munich Agreement
Second Czechoslovak Republic
German occupation
Bohemia and Moravia
Slovak Republic
Czechoslovak government-in-exile
Third Czechoslovak Republic
Coup d'état
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Prague Spring
Invasion
Velvet Revolution

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