19 - Slovakia and the attempt to reform socialism in Czechoslovakia, 1963–1969

Summary

The reforms of socialism in Czechoslovakia and the subsequent so-called Prague, or Czechoslovak, Spring are usually associated, especially abroad, with the years 1968–1969. However, this social (and now historic) movement also had its origins in a ‘pre-spring’, the beginnings of which can be traced back to the earlier period of 1962–1963. At this juncture, the leading political force in Czechoslovakia – the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (CPC) – was obliged to react to numerous pressures that emanated from an interconnected series of internal and international developments. In terms of the domestic situation, a number of pressing problems had developed in the economic, political and cultural spheres. Among a range of foreign influences, it was impossible for the Communists to ignore the consequences of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (October 1961), the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and a variety of cultural developments outside the Soviet bloc: in philosophy, literature, film, theatre and art as well as in the vibrant arena of popular music. The central problem lay, however, in the economic sphere, and these influences affected the whole social system in Czechoslovakia. How could the Party accept, and functionally transplant, Western scientific and technological advances into the socialist economic system? It was believed, with some justification, that this issue had to be tackled or the countries of the socialist community would be unable to continue to compete economically with the capitalist world.