Photos: 50 Years Since a Soviet Invasion Ended the Prague Spring
In 1968, during a period called the “Prague Spring,” Alexander Dubček, the newly elected leader of Czechoslovakia, enacted pro-democracy reforms that loosened state control and expanded individual rights, giving hope to citizens and angering the Soviet Union. Soviet leaders in Moscow believed that Czechoslovakia, a member of the Warsaw Pact, had gone too far, and summoned the country’s leaders for discussions. By late summer, the talks were not going the way the Kremlin had wanted, so more than 2,000 tanks and thousands more Warsaw Pact troops were sent to invade and occupy the country on August 21. In the first weeks, occupying soldiers were met with protests and limited resistance, and more than 70 civilians were killed in the conflicts. Within the following year, resistance faded, Dubček was removed from office, his reforms were undone, and a more Soviet-controlled government was installed.
Prague residents surround Soviet tanks in front of the Czechoslovak Radio building, in central Prague, during the first day of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, on August 21, 1968. #
Libor Hajsky / Reuters
A view of the Czechoslovakian capital, Prague, from the surrounding hills, August 1968 #
Stefan Tyszko / GettyA photo taken in Trutnov, Czechoslovakia, during a confrontation between demonstrators and the Warsaw Pact troops and tanks, which invaded the country in August of 1968. Editor's note: The original caption previously misidentified the location as Prague, and has been updated. #
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A shadowy figure watches Soviet tanks advance through the streets of Prague after nightfall in August 1968. #
Stefan Tyszko / Getty
Prague residents ride on top of a Soviet army tank rolling down Wenceslas Square in central Prague during the first day of the Soviet-led invasion, on August 21, 1968. The banner reads: "Entry forbidden to unauthorized personnel." #
Libor Hajsky / Reuters
Prague residents, carrying a Czechoslovakian flag and throwing Molotov cocktails, attempt to stop a Soviet tank in downtown Prague on August 21, 1968. #
Libor Hajsky / Reuters
A barricade made from trucks and buses burns in front of the Czechoslovak Radio building, in central Prague, on August 21, 1968. #
Libor Hajsky / Reuters
A Soviet army tank rolls over a barricade made from trucks and buses in front of the Czechoslovak Radio building on August 21, 1968. #
Libor Hajsky / Reuters
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Click to view imageA bus driver tries to help some of the first victims of the Soviet-led invasion during clashes in front of the Czechoslovak Radio headquarters, in central Prague, on August 21, 1968. #
Libor Hajsky / Reuters
A Soviet tank, burning vehicles, and sullen citizens are seen in Prague on August 21, 1968, as Soviet troops entered the Czechoslovakian capital. #
AP
Original caption: "Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia. Czech youths with the national colors pinned to their chests demonstrate in the streets here following the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. The banner they are carrying reads: 'Never Again with the Soviet Union.'" #
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A Soviet tank is out of action after a bridge it was crossing gave way on August 21, 1968. One witness said the bridge had been dynamited, but the span may have collapsed due to the heavy weight of the tanks crossing it. #
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Soviet army soldiers sit on their tanks in front of the Czechoslovak Radio building, in central Prague, on August 21, 1968. #
Libor Hajsky / Reuters
A member of the Czechoslovakian army is jeered by locals in Košice, Czechoslovakia, on August 21, 1968, as he addresses them outside the city hall shortly after troops had occupied the town as part of the Soviet invasion. Editor's note: The original caption previously misidentified the speaker as a Soviet major, and has been updated. #
AP
Thousands of protesters sit in Wenceslas Square, in downtown Prague, on August 24, 1968, demonstrating against the Soviet invasion. #
Paul Goldsmith / AP
Czechoslovakian army trucks take young people around Prague as Soviet tanks had halted on the outskirts of town and began a siege of Czech army barracks. The passengers waved Czechoslovakian national flags and chanted national songs and patriotic slogans. #
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Thousands of protesters crowd into Wenceslas Square, in downtown Prague, in August 1968, demonstrating against the Soviet invasion. #
AP
Czechs jeer a Soviet tank in downtown Prague. #
Bettmann / Getty
A young Czech lets her feelings be known as she shouts at Soviet soldiers sitting on tanks in the streets of Prague on August 26, 1968. #
Bettmann / Getty
Angry citizens surround a Soviet tank and climb its turret to mock the crew in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, on August 22, 1968. #
Bettmann / Getty
Czechoslovakian refugees flee the country, photographed here at the Austrian border, in autumn 1968. #
Barbara Pflaum / Imagno / Getty
Youths carry a crucifix on their way to the burial of a friend shot by the Soviets on August 27, 1968, in Prague. #
AP
A woman weeps at a funeral for one of the victims of the fighting in Czechoslovakia. #
Reg Lancaster / Getty
A lone car passes dozens of Soviet tanks during the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. #
Bill Ray / The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty
Czechoslovakians gather to listen to a transistor radio for news of the Soviet invasion and occupation on August 29, 1968. #
Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis via Getty
Students in the underground movement make anti-Russian posters on September 3, 1968, in Prague. #
Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis via Getty
Soviet troops march through Prague in September 1968. After the invasion, a permanent Soviet presence was established in Czechoslovakia to prevent further reforms. #
Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis via Getty
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