Source A Soviet tanks in the centre of Prague, August 1968
At the start of 1968 Czechoslovakia was part of the Warsaw Pact, a satellite of the Soviet Union and under the control of the Communist hardliner Antonin Novotny. However, this was all to change. In January 1968, Novotny was forced to resign after public protests. He was replaced by Alexander Dubček, who embarked on a programme of reform.
These reforms worried the Soviet leader, Leonid Brehznev, who decided to intervene. On 20–21 August 1968 over a quarter of a million Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia. Although there was some resistance, it was ineffective. Dubček was forced from power and a pro-Soviet regime was reinstalled.
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