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Year 11
Edexcel

The Prague Spring (1968)

I can explain the consequences of the Prague Spring.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

The Prague Spring (1968)

I can explain the consequences of the Prague Spring.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. After Czechoslovakia became a Soviet satellite state, people faced economic challenges and limits on their freedom.
  2. From 1957, under the leadership of Antonin Novotny, standards of living declined and calls for reform increased.
  3. Alexander Dubcek became leader in January 1968 and introduced a series of reforms known as the Prague Spring.
  4. Brezhnev was concerned that the Prague Spring would weaken communism and Czechoslovakia would leave the Warsaw Pact.
  5. In August 1968, a Soviet-led invasion removed Dubcek from power and ended the Prague Spring.

Common misconception

Alexander Dubcek was not a committed communist.

Dubcek was a committed communist. The purpose of the Prague Spring reforms was to preserve communist rule in Czechoslovakia and win support for communism by removing its worst features (e.g., censorship, secret police etc.)

Keywords

  • Consumer goods - items purchased by individuals for their personal use and enjoyment

  • Secret police - government agencies that operate in secrecy to enforce political control; they often use covert methods to monitor, intimidate and eliminate perceived threats

  • Hard-line - strict and uncompromising

  • Reform - a change introduced to improve something, often a system or law

  • Warsaw Pact - a military alliance of Eastern European countries led by the Soviet Union during the Cold War; it was formed in 1955 in response to NATO

Ask students to draw a graph illustrating the key events from Dubcek becoming Czech leader to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia showing how each of the key events increased or decreased tension between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which keyword describes an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving?
Correct Answer: blockade, Blockade
Q2.
Which keyword describes the practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the threshold of confrontation?
Correct Answer: brinkmanship, Brinkmanship
Q3.
Why did the USSR build missile bases in Cuba?
They wanted to test our their new missile technology.
Correct answer: It was a response to US missile bases in Turkey (Türkiye).
Cuba was the USSR's nextdoor neighbour and closest ally.
Correct answer: Khrushchev wanted to demonstrate Soviet strength and restore his own prestige.
Q4.
Complete the sentence with the correct order of names: The success of the US blockade strengthened __________ reputation and weakened __________ position as leader.
Khrushchev's, Kennedy's
Correct answer: Kennedy's, Khrushchev's
Q5.
For how many days did ExComm meet for?
10 days
Correct answer: 13 days
15 days
Q6.
Match the group in ExComm to their advice to Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Correct Answer:hawks,Invade Cuba, bomb the missile bases or sink the Soviet ships.

Invade Cuba, bomb the missile bases or sink the Soviet ships.

Correct Answer:doves,Be cautious and avoid any action that could lead to war.

Be cautious and avoid any action that could lead to war.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. Czechoslovakia's economy prioritised heavy industry over the production of goods.
Correct Answer: consumer, Consumer
Q2.
Match each leader with the correct description of them.
Correct Answer:Leonid Brezhnev,leader of the USSR

leader of the USSR

Correct Answer:Alexander Dubcek,leader of Czechoslovakia after 1968

leader of Czechoslovakia after 1968

Correct Answer:Antonin Novotny,leader of Czechoslovakia before 1968

leader of Czechoslovakia before 1968

Q3.
What name is given to the period in early 1968 when Dubcek introduced reforms in Czechoslovakia?
Correct Answer: Prague Spring, the Prague Spring, The Prague Spring, prague spring, the prague spring
Q4.
Which keyword describes government agencies that operate in secrecy to enforce political control who often use covert methods to monitor, intimidate and eliminate perceived threats?
Correct Answer: secret police, Secret police, Secret Police
Q5.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - Novotny's New Economic Plan failed.
2 - Student protests took place in Prague.
3 - Dubcek challenged Novotny's power.
4 - Brezhnev dropped his support for Novotny.
5 - Dubcek became leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party.
Q6.
How long did Dubcek think political change, that would eventually create a democratic, multi-party state, would take in Czechoslovakia?
one year
five years
Correct answer: 10 years

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