When did the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia begin?
Eastern Bloc armies invaded Czechoslovakia at approximately 11 pm on the 20th of August 1968. Two hundred fifty thousand troops entered overnight alongside two thousand tanks.
Eastern Bloc armies invaded Czechoslovakia at approximately 11 pm on the 20th of August 1968. Two hundred fifty thousand troops entered overnight alongside two thousand tanks.
Alexander Dubček became First Secretary of the Communist Party on the 5th of January 1968. He launched an Action Programme that loosened restrictions on media and speech.
The Politburo unanimously passed a resolution to provide help through military force by August 20. Leonid Brezhnev hesitated to approve an invasion despite growing fears within the Kremlin until Ukrainian leaders Yuri Andropov and Petro Shelest pushed for intervention.
One hundred thirty-seven people died during the occupation and five hundred were seriously wounded. Student Jan Palach set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square on the 19th of January 1969 to protest renewed suppression.
Albania formally withdrew from the Warsaw Pact in September 1968 over the matter. Romania held a public speech in Bucharest depicting Soviet policies harshly while Communist parties worldwide split as Italian and Spanish groups denounced the occupation.