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

Alexander Dubček

提示His reforms became known as the Prague Spring.

为什么Dubček 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

提示It controlled what could be published.

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

August

提示It came in the late summer, after the spring of reform.

为什么The 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

提示It was named after the Soviet leader.

为什么The 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

提示He was a Slovak politician.

为什么Husák 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

提示The word means relaxation.

为什么Both 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

提示He was president at the time of Détente.

为什么Nixon 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

提示It aimed to put a cap on the numbers.

为什么For 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

提示Think of a split between two communist giants.

为什么Because 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

提示They disagreed openly with the authorities.

为什么The 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.