Explain why Soviet & Warsaw pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 (12)

The fears of Soviet influence being reduced was increased by the fact that Dubcek’s reforms lead to less censorship in Czechoslovakia, opening the public to media previously not allowed to be seen.  The USSR feared that this lack of censorship would lead to the public rejecting communism once they had access to media and were able to be influenced by capitalist ideas. The decrease of censorship also meant that communism could be publicly criticised, which would decrease the USSR’s influence in Czechoslovakia.

Another reason for the invasion of Czechoslovakia was the fact that due to lack of censorship, political criticism was legalised. This meant that people could publish media criticising the communist government, and continued the USSR’s fears that communism would be rejected by the wider public, rather than a small group of people who did not want communism, leading to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in order to ensure that communist rule was continued in Czechoslovakia.

Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 due to the reforms made by Dubcek in the Prague Spring. The most important reason for the invasion was that the reforms made by Dubcek included the legalisation of opposition political groups, and the USSR feared that by allowing opposition groups there was a chance that Czechoslovakia would leave communism. Other reasons include the fact that censorship was reduced, allowing the public to view and be influenced by negative opinions of communism, leading to fears that the wider public would reject communism.