HIST 1031 Lecture Notes - Berlin Wall, Glasnost, Mikhail Gorbachev
Document Summary
1948 the communists in czechoslovakia was unable to gain power, and threatened to call on. Stalin for help, so the president gave into the communists and resigned. They succeeded through intimidation to gain power. 1968 the soviet puppet was growing more unpopular, and university students around. Europe marched to protest a range of issues, including the war in vietnam and the lack of civil rights for catholics. January 1968 alexander dubcek became the new leader of czechoslovakia and put in reforms like freedom of speech, press, and freedom of citizens to travel abroad. The sense of optimism was known as the prague spring, and criticism of the soviet union continued to grow. August 1968 soviet tanks came into czechoslovakia and crushed the reformist movement. The soviet government would not tolerate any reform, so dubcek was taken out of power and replaced.