The Prague 'Spring': A Gorbachevite Conspiracy

Alexander Dubcek's 1968 liberal reforms are commonly known in the West as the "Prague Spring." However, the events that occurred in Czechoslovakia under revisionist Dubcek's Regime were far from a "spring" and were more so the Gorbachevite degeneration of Czechoslovakia. The legitimacy of the Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia has been disputed among the various currents that self-describe as "Marxist-Leninist." The purpose of this article however, is to shed light on Dubcekite anti-communism.

The Zionist Spring

According to Rafensberger (1968):

"The Six Day War provoked many among Czechoslovakia’s intellectual elite to begin questioning the government’s support for Egypt and its antipathy toward Israel. This criticism in turn opened up the floodgates to criticism of the government in general and of Premier Novotny in particular. Some of the first open critics of the regime were the members of the Writers Union, which numbered among its ranks a young playwright, Vaclav Havel, who was just beginning to make a name for himself. Novotny reacted to the criticism by reimposing censorship and clamping down on the press, moves that only engendered more criticism, both inside and outside the party. By the end of the year, there were calls within the Central Committee for Novotny’s resignation."

It was not just the liberal intellectuals that began to question the anti-Zionism of the Czechoslovak State. The pro-Zionist sympathies got even to the level of the government once Novotny resigned to be replaced by Dubcek. According to Palestinian-Jordanian historian Joseph Massad (2012):

"While within Czechoslovakia the Prague Spring was championing Slovak nationalism and even separatism, in foreign policy, the regime began to warm up to NATO countries, especially West Germany. Czechoslovakia also began to distance itself from Third World struggles and scaled down aid to Egypt right after the 1967 war... with articles sympathetic to the Zionists appearing increasingly in the Czech press (reform journalist Miroslav Galuska who became Minister of Information and Culture under Dubcek went as far as proposing the resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel), developments which brought much joy to Israel and its supporters at the time."

Gorbachevism

Gorbachev capitulated to the Western imperialists and collaborated with US finance capital, thereby selling the "Soviet" Republics to the US bankers. Gorbachev improved relations with imperialist West Germany as well as the Zionist Entity in 1990. Dubcekite Czechoslovakia, likewise, was warming up relations with West Germany and improved relations with "Israel" were being considered.

Domestically, Gorbachev and Dubcek had very similar policies. In 1987, the New York Times wrote:

"Although Mr. Gorbachev held no news conference. the Soviet Foreign Ministry spokesman, Gennadi I. Gerasimov, did meet with journalists. When asked to explain the difference between the Dubcek and Gorbachev reforms, he said, 'Nineteen years'."

According to the liberal Austrian weekly "Falter,":

"The liberalization Dubcek had in mind changed the face of Czech life: His 'Action Program' included increasing freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement, and a shift in the economy toward consumer goods. He even opened up the possibility of a multiparty government."

Gorbachev moved the Soviet economy ever more towards the consumer sector, and not surprisingly, Czehoslovakia's industrial development lagged further behind due to low emphasis on producer goods. Dubcek had the same idea.

Recently, BBC reported:

"For four months (the Prague Spring), there was freedom in Czechoslovakia. But then the revolution began to run out of control. Dubcek announced that he was still committed to democratic communism, but other political parties were set up...."

Very interestingly and surprisingly, the BBC, in regards to the entrance of Soviet tanks into Prague, reported:

"The Czechoslovakians did not fight the Russians. Instead, they stood in front of the tanks, and put flowers in the soldiers' hair."

According to Wilson Center, Czechoslovakia under liberal leader Dubcek tore down barbed wire and opened up the border to "tourists." This created the anxiety in Moscow, that perhaps Czechoslovakia is allowing NATO spies into the country:

“Soviet concerns about the security of the depots had been growing rapidly since the early spring of 1968, when it was announced that Czechoslovak border guards had dismantled a series of barbed wire and electrical fences along the border with West Germany. These concerns gave rise by mid-1968 to 'deep anxiety and fear' in Moscow about the 'laxity of those responsible for Czechoslovakia’s western frontiers'. From then on, Soviet leaders were determined to rectify 'the absolutely abnormal and dangerous situation on Czechoslovakia’s borders with the FRG and Austria', which was enabling 'imperialist spies and subversive elements to carry out subversive activities in a region where large scale defense forces of the Warsaw Pact governments are deployed'."

Conclusion

Although Czechoslovakia had gone revisionist, years prior to the rise of Dubcek, the new Czechoslovak liberal leader had sought to sink the regime to a whole new level. The Dubcekites wanted to dismantle the single-party system, increase "free speech" for Zionist and counter-revolutionary elements, promote a pro-Western and pro-Zionist line, and shift the economy towards the consumer goods thus further entrenching the capitalist mode of production by focusing on the more profitable and less needed sector of the economy; not to mention the increased privatization and decentralization of the economy. Dubcek was fundamentally hostile to Marxism-Leninism and was good "comrades" with Vaclav Havel, the agent of US imperialism. Clearly, in every way, Dubcek's reforms as well as the events promoted during his time - known commonly as the "Prague Spring" - were a Gorbachevite plot against Czechoslovakia.

Citation

GCSE History - The Cold War 1961-1972 - AQA - Revision 5. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2018, from https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zwb2dmn/revision/1

KAUFMAN, M. T. (1987, April 12). GORBACHEV ALLUDES TO CZECH INVASION. Retrieved August 25, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/12/world/gorbachev-alludes-to-czech-invasion.html

Kramer, M. (1993). COLD WAR INTERNATIONAL HISTORY PROJECT, Bulletin, Issue 3. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/CWIHPBulletin3.pdf

Published by the Wilson Center

Massad, J. (2012, August 29). The 'Arab Spring' and other American seasons. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/201282972539153865.html

Raffensperger, T. A. (2016, September 22). Prague Spring, 1968: “The Whole World is Watching”. Retrieved August 7, 2018, from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/military-history/prague-spring-1968-the-whole-world-is-watching/

Rombova, L. (2008, May). Prague Spring Remembered. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from https://www.falter.at/the-vienna-review/2008/prague-spring-remembered