Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and I'll be your history teacher for today.

I'm really looking forward to starting our learning journey together, and my role will be to make sure that you can meet today's learning objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the transformation of the Cold War, where we're asking ourselves, why did tensions ease by 1972? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain the causes and events of the Prague Spring.

There are five key words which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Three of those are satellite state, oppression, and consumer goods.

A satellite state is a country controlled by or depending on another more powerful country.

Oppression refers to the unfair treatment that limits people's freedom, and consumer goods are items purchased by individuals for their personal use and enjoyment.

And our other two key words for today's lesson are socialism and liberalised.

Socialism is a word sometimes used as an alternative to communism, and liberalised means to make laws and systems less strict.

Today's lesson will be split into three parts, and we'll begin by thinking about problems in Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia was a country located in Eastern Europe.

Since 1948, Czechoslovakia had been firmly under communist rule.

In the 1960s, Czechoslovakia became the centre of another Cold War crisis.

Three major types of issues affected Czechoslovakia between the 1940s and 1960s.

These were foreign influence, poor living standards, and political oppression.

All of these issues provoked growing resentment amongst ordinary people living in Czechoslovakia.

So we'll think about each of these issues in turn.

Let's start by considering the role played by foreign influence.

Czechoslovakia was a Soviet satellite state.

Communist rulers in Czechoslovakia were loyal to the USSR.

The country's economy was run for Soviet benefits.

As a satellite, the USSR essentially controlled the country's economy.

Czechoslovakian industry, for example, prioritised producing steel machinery and weapons, which were in demand for the Soviet Union's military.

So thinking about what we've just heard, I want you to write the missing keyword for the following sentence.

From 1948 onwards, Czechoslovakia was a Soviet blank.

So what's the missing word? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the missing keyword was satellite state.

From 1948 onwards, Czechoslovakia was a Soviet satellite state.

So now we can think about the impact of poor living standards.

Living standards for Czechoslovakians were poor and dropped sharply in the 1960s.

The prioritisation of heavy industry, so things like machinery, meant that there were frequent shortages of consumer goods.

In the year from 1962 to 1963, the national income of Czechoslovakia actually fell, so people were becoming poorer.

Antonin Novotny, the leader of Czechoslovakia, introduced the new economic plan in 1965, which he intended to improve the country's economy.

However, the plan failed because few people could afford the new consumer goods which were being produced, so it made little real difference to ordinary people's lives.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

As a Soviet satellite state, which three of the following did the Czech economy prioritise for production? Was it armaments, consumer goods, machinery, or steel? Remember, you're looking for three correct answers to this question.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the three correct answers were armaments, machinery, and steel.

All of these were prioritised for production in the Czech economy, but not consumer goods.

And let's try another question.

This time we have a statement that reads, Antonin Novotny successfully managed the Czechoslovakian economy.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that Novotny's new economic plan failed to improve falling living standards.

And the second says that Novotny's new economic plan failed to increase production in factories.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was A, Novotny's new economic plan failed to improve falling living standards.

Although there was an increase in the production of consumer goods, the price was still too high for many ordinary Czechoslovakians to be able to afford them.

So their living standards remained poor and continued to decline in many circumstances.

And so now we can turn our attention to political oppression.

Novotny was a hardline communist who opposed reform and kept political freedoms limited.

A secret police force, the State Security or STB, helped the government keep control in Czechoslovakia.

There was no freedom of speech and all forms of media were heavily censored.

So they couldn't say certain things unless the government gave them the approval to do so.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we just heard.

What was the name of the Czechoslovakian secret police? Was it the State Department, SD, the State Guardians, STG, or the State Security, the STB? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C.

The name of the Czechoslovakian secret police was the State Security and they were used by Novotny to keep control of his political opponents.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the problems in Czechoslovakia into practise.

I want you to briefly explain some of the challenges people in Czechoslovakia faced under communist rule by the 1960s.

You should try to include each of the following terms in your answer, consumer goods, satellite state, and oppression.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked you to briefly explain some of the challenges people in Czechoslovakia faced under communist rule by the 1960s.

And your answer may have included, under communist rule, people in Czechoslovakia faced poor living standards, including regular shortages of consumer goods.

This was because Czechoslovakia was a Soviet satellite state and its economy prioritised heavy industry to meet the needs of the USSR.

In addition, people in Czechoslovakia suffered from political oppression and faced severe limits on their personal freedoms. The government censored the media and used a secret police to maintain control.

So really well done if your own response looks something like that model which we've just seen.

And now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson, where we're going to focus on protests and leadership changes.

From 1967 onwards, there were growing protests amongst the Czech population against the way that the country was run.

These protests helped encourage changes in the leadership of the Communist Party and government of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

The government of Antonin Novotny became increasingly unpopular during the 1960s.

This unpopularity encouraged various protests against the government.

Some writers and artists began to make public criticisms of how Czechoslovakia was ruled.

For instance, Milan Kundera published a novel called "The Joke" in 1967, which criticised the lack of freedom of speech in Czechoslovakia.

In the story, a young student found his life ruined after sharing a single critical joke with a friend.

That same year, there were large-scale protests by students in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia.

Student protesters demanded a range of reforms, including freedom of speech and an end to censorship.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, what was the main focus of criticism in Milan Kundera's book "The Joke"? Was it poor living standards, restrictions on freedom of speech, or Soviet influence in Czechoslovakia? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was B.

In his book "The Joke", Milan Kundera criticised restrictions on freedom of speech in Czechoslovakia, telling the story of a young boy whose life was ruined by telling a single critical joke about the way the country was run.

And let's try another question.

Which group participated in public protests in Prague in 1967? Was it miners, policemen, or students? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C.

In 1967, in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia, there were large-scale protests by students.

The student protesters demanded a range of reforms, including an end to censorship and freedom of speech.

In October 1967, Novotny's leadership in Czechoslovakia was challenged by Alexander Dubcek at a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.

Dubcek was a dedicated communist, but he was open to the idea of introducing reforms in Czechoslovakia, unlike Novotny.

In December, the leader of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev, visited Prague.

When Brezhnev realised how little support Novotny had, he refused to continue supporting him.

In January 1968, Dubcek replaced Novotny as first secretary of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia, the top position in the ruling party.

This change was approved by the USSR, who trusted Dubcek to make the government more effective and less unpopular.

In March, Novotny also resigned from his position as president of Czechoslovakia and was replaced by Ludvik Svoboda, a popular war hero who supported Dubcek's ideas for reform.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, who became the new leader of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia in January 1968? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

OK, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was Alexander Dubcek.

And let's try another question.

This time we have a statement that says, "In January 1968, Dubcek seized power by force." Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

OK, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that Dubcek defeated Novotny in a democratic election to become leader of Czechoslovakia.

And the second says that Dubcek replaced Novotny as leader with the support of Soviet leader Brezhnev.

So which of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

OK, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B, Dubcek replaced Novotny as leader with the support of the Soviet leader Brezhnev.

Brezhnev was willing to back Dubcek because he saw just how unpopular Novotny was and believed that Dubcek's openness to reform might help make the Czechoslovakian government more effective and less unpopular.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about Dubcek and leadership changes into practise.

Starting with the earliest, I want you to sort the events shown in the table into chronological order.

Those events are Milan Kundera's book "The Joke" is published, Novotny challenged in the Central Committee, Brezhnev drops his support for Novotny, thousands of students protest in Prague, and Dubcek becomes leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party.

So you need to use the numbers one to five to indicate that correct chronological order of the answers, with one being the earliest.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked you to sort the events in our table into chronological order, and your answer should have looked as follows.

The first of our events was that Milan Kundera's book "The Joke" was published.

This book was really critical of restrictions on freedom of speech in Czechoslovakia.

The second event which you should have identified was that thousands of students began protesting in Prague.

These students protested against political oppression, as well as against poor living standards in the country.

The third event you should have identified was that Novotny was challenged in the Central Committee.

This challenge came from other communists, such as Alexander Dubcek.

The fourth event was that the Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, dropped his support for Novotny.

And so fifthly, once Novotny had lost his support from the Soviet Union, there was a change in leadership, as Dubcek became the leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party in January 1968.

So really well done if you managed to identify that correct chronological order.

And now we can move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today, where we're going to think about Dubcek's reforms. As leader of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubcek began introducing a wide range of reforms in early 1968.

These political changes became known as the Prague Spring.

In the spring of 1968, Dubcek introduced a series of reforms in Czechoslovakia that had become known as the Prague Spring.

These changes liberalised a number of areas of life as they aimed to improve both political and economic conditions in the country.

The reforms introduced during the Prague Spring included a 10-year programme for political change that eventually aimed to create a democratic multi-party state.

Dubcek wanted to give the Czech people a greater say in the running of their country, but recognised that this would take time.

Greater freedoms were also introduced for the Czech people, including free speech and the ending of press censorship.

By March 1968, uncensored articles about political and social problems were being printed.

Czech radio and television held Communist Party officials to account and interviewed them about problems such as corruption.

There was also a reduction in the powers of the state security, the STB, secret police, which would no longer have the authority to imprison people without trial.

Dubcek's reforms also included an increase in rights for trade union members and a creation of works councils that would improve conditions for workers in factories.

And finally, another major part of the Prague Spring was an increase in trade with the West, particularly West Germany, and a relaxation of travel restrictions that made it easier for Czech people to travel abroad.

So, reflecting on everything that we've just heard, I want you to identify at least two specific examples that Sam could use to support his point.

Sam says that the Prague Spring reforms gave people in Czechoslovakia more freedom.

So what are two specific examples that could support that point? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done.

If you identified any two examples from the following list, that people had greater freedom of speech, that press censorship was ended, and that travel restrictions were relaxed to make it easier to travel abroad.

And let's try another question.

This time we have a statement which reads, "Dubcek wanted Czechoslovakia "to quickly become more democratic." Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that he wanted Czechoslovakia to become more democratic, but knew that this would take time.

He proposed 10 years.

And the second says that he was opposed to greater democracy in Czechoslovakia and did not want to make changes.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was A.

Dubcek wanted Czechoslovakia to become more democratic, but he knew that this would take time and he proposed a period of 10 years.

The name Prague Spring had two meanings.

Literally, it simply referred to the fact that the Czechoslovakian government was based in Prague and began its reforms during spring.

However, metaphorically, the name also referred to how Dubcek's reforms liberalised the country and the idea that freedoms were now growing just as plants grow every spring.

Dubcek's reforms were significant, but they did not change the fact that he remained a dedicated communist.

For instance, Dubcek continued to assure the Soviet Union that the Prague Spring did not change Czechoslovakia's loyal alliance with the USSR, nor its membership at the Warsaw Pact alongside other communist states.

Dubcek believed his reforms were necessary in order to ensure that a communist government could survive in Czechoslovakia.

He reasoned that if the government improved people's lives, it would no longer be dependent on political oppression to maintain power.

For this reason, many Czechs referred to Dubcek's reforms as socialism with a human face.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to complete the following phrase.

Many people in Czechoslovakia described Dubcek's reforms as socialism with blank.

So what is the rest of that phrase? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the rest of that phrase was with a human face.

So in full, that sentence reads, many people in Czechoslovakia described Dubcek's reforms as socialism with a human face.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about Dubcek's reforms into practise.

Aisha and Andeep have come to different views about the purpose of Dubcek's Prague Spring.

Aisha says that the purpose of Dubcek's Prague Spring was to undermine communist rule in Czechoslovakia.

Whereas Andeep says that the purpose of Dubcek's reforms was to preserve communist rule in Czechoslovakia by removing its worst features.

So who do you think is correct? Explain your answer with reference to specific reforms that occurred during the Prague Spring.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done to everybody for all of your effort in that task.

So I asked you whose opinion you thought was correct and you should have said that it was Andeep's and your answer may have included the following.

I think Andeep is correct.

Dubcek was a communist and wanted to preserve communist rule in Czechoslovakia but he believed that this was only possible by removing communism's worst features.

For example, during the Prague Spring, Dubcek liberalised the country by ending censorship and reduced the power of the secret police.

By introducing socialism with a human face, Dubcek hoped to win support for the communist government.

So really well done if your own response looks something like that model which we've just seen there.

And that means we've now reached the end of today's lesson which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about the Prague Spring.

We've seen that by the 1960s, people in Czechoslovakia were suffering from political oppression and poor living standards.

Under the unpopular leadership of Antonin Novotny, protests and calls for reform increased.

Alexander Dubcek, who supported introducing reforms, replaced Novotny as the leader of Czechoslovakia in January 1968.

Dubcek's reforms liberalised conditions in Czechoslovakia and became known as the Prague Spring.

And Dubcek considered reform necessary in order to preserve communist rule.

So really well done for all of your effort throughout today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you for our resources and I look forward to seeing you again in the future as we think further about the transformation of the Cold War and continue to ask ourselves, why did tensions ease by 1972?.