The twentieth-century world, Year 10: the Prague Spring and détente (East and West (Cold War) option)

Alexander Dubček

HintHis reforms became known as the Prague Spring.

The whyDubček wanted to liberalise politics and the economy, but he was still a communist. He thought reform was necessary if communist government was to survive without being overthrown.

Censorship

HintIt controlled what could be published.

The whyThe end of censorship led to public expression of broad support for reform. Other Warsaw Pact leaders saw Dubček's reforms as a threat.

August

HintIt came in the late summer, after the spring of reform.

The whyThe invasion was led by the USSR. Oak records around half a million troops taking part. The reforms were then reversed and Dubček was replaced.

Intervene in any communist country where socialist rule was seen to be under threat

HintIt was named after the Soviet leader.

The whyThe doctrine claimed that reform in one communist country affected all communist countries. It justified the invasion of Czechoslovakia and helped the USSR keep control of Eastern Europe.

Gustáv Husák

HintHe was a Slovak politician.

The whyHusák purged the party of its liberal members and ended the Prague Spring for good. The West opposed the invasion but was unwilling to fight over Czechoslovakia.

Détente

HintThe word means relaxation.

The whyBoth superpowers had reasons for it, including domestic problems, the cost of the arms race and Nixon's wish to end the Vietnam War. Détente did not end the Cold War, which continued after 1972.

Richard Nixon

HintHe was president at the time of Détente.

The whyNixon visited Moscow in 1972, and he and Brezhnev signed the SALT 1 agreement there. SALT 1 included arms limitations and agreements to cooperate.

It limited the number of certain kinds of nuclear missile each side could have

HintIt aimed to put a cap on the numbers.

The whyFor the first time in the Cold War the superpowers agreed to limit the number of nuclear missiles in their arsenals. It did not cover all new weapons, so the arms race went on.

He feared that the USA and China might unite against the USSR

HintThink of a split between two communist giants.

The whyBecause of the Sino-Soviet split, Moscow worried that better US-China relations might lead to an anti-Soviet alliance. The Sino-Soviet split also made improved relations with the USA more appealing to the USSR.

Dissidents

HintThey disagreed openly with the authorities.

The whyThe USA criticised the Soviet record on human rights. Freedoms such as free speech were heavily restricted in the USSR, and open criticism of the government was risky.