In Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968, a significant event known as the Prague Spring took place. During this period, Czechoslovakia attempted to implement liberal reforms aimed at granting greater political and cultural freedom to its citizens. The reforms were led by Alexander Dubček, who became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
However, the Soviet Union, along with other Warsaw Pact countries, felt threatened by these reforms as they deviated from the Soviet-style communism. Consequently, on August 21, 1968, Warsaw Pact troops, primarily from the Soviet Union, invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress the reforms and restore control over the country.
This invasion marked the end of the Prague Spring and the beginning of a period of normalization in Czechoslovakia, characterized by the re-establishment of strict communist control and the suppression of dissent. The period following the invasion is often referred to as the "Normalization Era," during which the country experienced a return to conservative communist policies and the stifling of political and cultural freedoms that had briefly emerged during the Prague Spring.
