Who is Alexander Dubcek?

Answer 1

Alexander Dubček (November 27, 1921 – November 7, 1992) was a Slovak politician and briefly leader of Czechoslovakia (1968-1969), famous for his attempt to reform the Communist regime (Prague Spring).

Dubček and other reformers sought to liberalize the Communist regime, creating "socialism with a human face". Though this loosened the party's grip on the country, Dubček remained a devoted Communist and intended to preserve the party's rule. However, during the Prague Spring, he and other reform-minded Communists sought to win popular support for the Communist regime by eliminating its worst, most repressive features, allowing greater freedom of expression and tolerating political and social organizations not under Communist control. Yet Dubček found himself in an increasingly untenable position. The program of reform gained momentum, leading to pressures for further liberalization and democratization. At the same time, hard-line Communists in Czechoslovakia and the leaders of other Warsaw Pact countries pressured Dubček to rein in the Prague Spring. Though Dubček wanted to keep control of the reform movement, he refused to resort to draconian, neo-Stalinist measures to do so.

The Prague Spring ended shortly before midnight on August 20 1968, when Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia. The occupying armies quickly seized control of Prague and the building where the Central Committee had been meeting, taking Dubček and other reformers into Soviet custody. But before they were arrested, Dubček urged the people not to resist.