Czechoslovakia : The Phony Occupation – 'Normalization' in the Wake of the 1968 Invasion

For seven months after the invasion of Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968, not only did the reformist leadership remain in power, virtually intact, but many aspects of the reform movement which had disturbed the Soviets actually continued to develop, almost as if there had been no military intervention. Despite persistent pressures, the Soviets could not seem to break the influence of the reformists and bring about the kind of "normalization" of the situation they desired. Even today, in "normalized" Czechoslovakia, evidence continues to appear, suggesting that the "Prague Spring" remains a live problem for the regime. Moreover, most of the important problems facing the Czechoslovak regime today – nearly 20 years after the 1968 intervention are those for which the reformist of 1968 were seeking stable solutions. This paper seeks to understand the legacy of the "Prague Spring" by examining the struggle under pressure to preserve its gains during the seven months after the invasion. Various constraints on the Soviets are examined, which prevented them from bringing about a quicker and more satisfactory (from their point of view) "normalization" of the political situation. And several factors are examined which help to explain why the Czechoslovak leadership was able to defend so many post-January gains, despite Soviet pressures