Topic 3: The Rise and Rule of Single-Party States NAME AND AUTHOR OF THE PACKET READING: “1968: The Prague Spring and Beyond” by Brian Crozier Major Theme: Origins and Nature of Authoritarian and Single-Party States Conditions That Produced Single-Party States Emergence of Leaders: Aims, Ideology, Support The letter created by Vasil Bilak, the leader of the Slovak Communist Party, marked “NEVER TO BE OPENED” by Brezhnev after he read it, called for the Soviet Union to intervene “to preserve socialism in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.” In this letter, Bilak states that “the very existence of socialism in our country is under threat” and later pleads to the USSR, saying “we are appealing to you, Soviet Communists…with a request for you to lend support and assistance with all the means at your disposal.” Brezhnev doesn’t answer this letter or the second letter sent on August 19, 1968, instead rallying with the Warsaw Pact countries (except Romania) to invade Czechoslovakia on August 20. Czechoslovakian Communist Party’s President and first secretary of the Party Antonin Novotny was harshly criticized by the Slovaks for “neglecting their half of the Republic and treating it in an ‘insulting’ manner.” Brezhnev ignored him when he called for support. The Central Committee reconvened in January 3, 1968, and were overwhelmingly in favor of replacing Novotny with Alexander Dubcek, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Slovakia. In Dubcek’s first public address, he said “Much will be achieved to begin with if…past obstacles to progress are removed and creative efforts set in motion…so that every honest citizen believing in socialism and the unity of this country feels that he is being useful and counts for something.” Antonin Novotny’s position on the Presidium was taken by Josef Smrkovsky and on the Secretariat by Cestmir Cisar, and Ludvik Svoboda was chosen as the Party’s choice as candidate for the presidency of the republic. Totalitarianism: the Aim and the Extent to Which it was The Soviet Union sent a communique to Dubcek, saying “in Achieved other words: ‘Do as we say, or face the consequences’”, followed by a show of strength in Prague. Historiography “How did the crisis begin? The story is well known, but the facts have to be restated if, decades later, the nature of the crisis is to be fully understood.” “What followed [Dubcek’s appointment] was a resolution best described as an ideological oxymoron: a call for freedom of expression and internal Party democracy, while at the same time reaffirming loyalty to Marxism- Lenninism.” “The Party resolutions and the speeches that followed Dubcek’s promotion illustrated either the new leader’s apparent incapacity to see the contradictions for what they were, or his hopeful awareness that only by reaffirming his faith in the basic ideology could he hope to retain Moscow’s support.” “By then, the wave of freedom seemed unstoppable. One of the most significant factors was a fast-growing movement for the rehabilitation of political prisoners.” “By this time Dubcek had clearly lost control over the events that he had allowed to happen.” “The two state visits may have strengthened Dubcek’s will to resist pressures from the Soviet Union and the more obedient Warsaw Pact countries, but the situation was already out of hand. Scarcely had Ceausescu returned to Bucharest than Moscow resumed its pressure, mostly appositely by organizing large-scale military maneuvers along the targeted borders.” Major Theme: Establishment of Authoritarian and Single-Party States Methods: Force Methods: Legal Form of Government, (Left & Right Wing) Ideology Nature, extent and Treatment of Opposition “At the end of October, rebellious Czech and Slovaki students took to the streets. Several hundred of them had been left in darkness or candlelight following power cuts in a new hostel of the Charles University. The marching students, carrying torches or candles, shouted, ‘Give us light!’ The security police attacked the demonstrators with tear gas and truncheons. Many of the students were taken to the hospital.” “Those who took refuge in the West fell into two incompatible categories: dissenters and defectors.” Dissenters disagreed with the totalist system and spoken against it, while defectors were “career Party men” who fled to avoid a purge or “liberalization of their own careers.” Many people that weren’t rehabilitated, like Rudolf Slansky, former CPC secretary-general, were executed. Slansky was executed in 1953 “on the groundless charges of ‘Titoist-Zionist imperialist conspiracy.’” “One of the first acts of the KGB contingent among the invaders was to instruct its Czech counterpart, the StB, to arrest Dubcek and several others, including Smrkovsky, chairman of the National Assembly, and Cernik, the prime minister.” Historiography “The buildup was necessary, from Moscow’s viewpoint, because the urge for freedom and democracy was stronger in Czechoslovakia than in the other Soviet satellites.” Major Theme: Domestic Policies and Impact Structure and Organization of Government and The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, or CPC, took Administration power in a “bloodless coup” in 1948, becoming the “highest ratio of members to the total population of any ruling Communist Party…and the number continued to grow.” Political Policies Economic Policies The Czechoslovakian Communist Party instituted a “New Economic Model” in 1966 to try and prevent their imminent bankruptcy, which failed. Social Policies Religious Policies Role of Education Role of the Arts Role of Media, Propaganda Status of Women Treatment of Religious Groups and Minorities Historiography .