Operation "Danube" - a military victory or a political defeat? The entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia is an urgent need The suppression of the uprising in Czechoslovakia 1968
On the night of August 21, 1968, troops of five Warsaw Pact countries (the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR and Poland) entered Czechoslovakia. The operation, codenamed "Danube", aimed to stop the process of reforms taking place in Czechoslovakia, initiated by the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubcek - "Prague Spring".
From a geopolitical point of view, a dangerous situation arose for the USSR in one of the key countries of Eastern Europe. The prospect of Czechoslovakia withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact, which would inevitably undermine the Eastern European military security system, was unacceptable for the USSR.
Within 36 hours, the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries established complete control over Czechoslovak territory. On August 23-26, 1968, negotiations were held in Moscow between the Soviet and Czechoslovak leadership. Their result was a joint communique, in which the timing of the withdrawal of Soviet troops was made dependent on the normalization of the situation in Czechoslovakia.
On October 16, 1968, an agreement was signed between the governments of the USSR and Czechoslovakia on the conditions for the temporary stay of Soviet troops on the territory of Czechoslovakia, according to which part of the Soviet troops remained on the territory of Czechoslovakia "in order to ensure the security of the socialist community." In accordance with the treaty, the Central Group of Forces (CGV) was created. The headquarters of the CGV was located in the town of Milovice near Prague. The treaty contained provisions on respect for the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia and non-interference in its internal affairs. The signing of the treaty was one of the main military-political results of the introduction of troops of five states, which satisfied the leadership of the USSR and the Department of Internal Affairs.
On October 17, 1968, a phased withdrawal of allied troops from the territory of Czechoslovakia began, which was completed by mid-November.
As a result of the introduction of troops into Czechoslovakia, a radical change in the course of the Czechoslovak leadership took place. The process of political and economic reforms in the country was interrupted. In 1969, at the April plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Gustav Husak was elected first secretary. In December 1970, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia adopted the document "Lessons of Crisis Development in the Party and Society after the XIII Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia", which generally condemned the political course of Alexander Dubcek and his entourage.
In the second half of the 1980s, the process of rethinking the Czechoslovak events of 1968 began. allied troops to Czechoslovakia was recognized as erroneous as unreasonable interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
On December 10, 1989, after the victory of the "Velvet Revolution" (the bloodless overthrow of the communist regime as a result of street protests in November-December 1989), the President of Czechoslovakia, Gustav Husak, resigned, and a new coalition government of national accord was formed, in which the communists and the opposition received the same number of seats. A "reconstruction" of the parliament was carried out, where the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia lost its majority. On December 28-29, 1989, the reorganized parliament elected Alexander Dubcek as its chairman.
On the night of August 21, 1968, the temporary entry of troops of the USSR, the People's Republic of Bulgaria (now the Republic of Bulgaria), the Hungarian People's Republic (now Hungary), the German Democratic Republic (GDR, now part of the Federal Republic of Germany) and the Polish People's Republic (now the Republic of Poland) to the territory of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (Czechoslovakia, now the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia) in accordance with the then understanding of the leadership of the Soviet Union and other participating countries of the essence of international assistance. It was carried out with the aim of "defending the cause of socialism" in Czechoslovakia, to prevent the loss of power by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (CHR), the country's possible exit from the socialist community and the Warsaw Treaty Organization. (ATS).
By the end of the 1960s, Czechoslovak society faced a set of problems that could not be solved within the framework of the Soviet-style socialist system. The economy suffered from the disproportionate development of industries, the loss of traditional markets; democratic freedoms were virtually non-existent; national sovereignty was limited. In Czechoslovak society, demands were growing for a radical democratization of all aspects of life.
In January 1968, the President of Czechoslovakia and the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Antonin Novotny, was removed. Alexander Dubcek, a representative of the liberal wing of the Communist Party, was elected leader of the Communist Party, and Ludwik Svoboda became president of Czechoslovakia. In April, the program of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was published, which proclaimed a course for the democratic renewal of socialism, provided for limited economic reforms.
Initially, the leadership of the USSR did not interfere in the inner-party problems of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, but the main features of the proclaimed "new model" of socialist society (the synthesis of a planned and market economy; the relative independence of state power and public organizations from party control; the rehabilitation of victims of repression; the democratization of political life in the country, etc.) ) ran counter to the Soviet interpretation of the Marxist-Leninist ideology and caused alarm among the leadership of the USSR. The possibility of a "chain reaction" in the neighboring socialist countries led to hostility towards the Czechoslovak "experiment" not only of the Soviet, but also of the East German, Polish and Bulgarian leadership. A more restrained position was taken by the leadership of Hungary.
From a geopolitical point of view, a dangerous situation arose for the USSR in one of the key countries of Eastern Europe. The withdrawal of Czechoslovakia from the Warsaw Pact would inevitably undermine the Eastern European military security system.
The use of force was considered by the Soviet leadership as the last alternative, but nevertheless, in the spring of 1968, it decided that it was necessary to take measures to prepare its armed forces for operations on the territory of Czechoslovakia.
The introduction of troops was preceded by numerous attempts at political dialogue during inter-party meetings of the leadership of the CPSU and the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, mutual visits of government delegations, multilateral meetings of the leaders of Czechoslovakia and the socialist countries. But political pressure did not produce the expected results. The final decision on the introduction of troops into Czechoslovakia was made at an expanded meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU on August 16, 1968 and approved at a meeting of the leaders of the Warsaw Pact member states in Moscow on August 18 on the basis of an appeal from a group of Czechoslovakian party and state leaders to the governments of the USSR and other countries of the Warsaw Pact with request for international assistance. The action was planned as short-term. The operation to bring in troops was codenamed "Danube", and its overall leadership was entrusted to General of the Army Ivan Pavlovsky.
Direct training of troops began on August 17-18. First of all, equipment was preparing for long marches, stocks of material resources were replenished, work cards were worked out, and other events were held. On the eve of the introduction of troops, Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrey Grechko informed the Minister of Defense of Czechoslovakia Martin Dzur about the upcoming action and warned against resistance from the Czechoslovak armed forces.
The operation to bring troops into Czechoslovakia began on August 20 at 23.00, when an alarm was announced in the involved military units.
On the night of August 21, the troops of the USSR, Poland, East Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria crossed the Czechoslovak border from four directions, ensuring surprise. The movement of troops was carried out in radio silence, which contributed to the secrecy of the military action. Simultaneously with the introduction of ground forces to the airfields of Czechoslovakia, contingents of airborne troops were transferred from the territory of the USSR. At two o'clock in the morning on August 21, units of the 7th Airborne Division landed at the airfield near Prague. They blocked the main objects of the airfield, where Soviet An-12 military transport aircraft with troops and military equipment began to land at short intervals. The paratroopers were supposed to take control of the most important state and party facilities, primarily in Prague and Brno.
The rapid and coordinated entry of troops into Czechoslovakia led to the fact that within 36 hours the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries established complete control over Czechoslovak territory. The introduced troops were deployed in all regions and major cities. Particular attention was paid to the protection of the western borders of Czechoslovakia. The total number of troops directly involved in the operation was about 300 thousand people.
The 200,000-strong Czechoslovak army (about ten divisions) offered practically no resistance. She remained in the barracks, following the orders of her Minister of Defense, and remained neutral until the end of the events in the country. The population, mainly in Prague, Bratislava and other large cities, showed discontent. The protest was expressed in the construction of symbolic barricades on the way of the advance of tank columns, the operation of underground radio stations, the distribution of leaflets and appeals to the Czechoslovak population and military personnel of the allied countries.
The leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was actually arrested and taken to Moscow. However, the political goals of the action were initially not achieved. The plan of the Soviet leadership to form a "revolutionary government" of Czechoslovak leaders loyal to the USSR failed. All segments of Czechoslovak society strongly opposed the presence of foreign troops on the territory of the country.
On August 21, a group of countries (USA, England, France, Canada, Denmark and Paraguay) spoke at the UN Security Council demanding that the "Czechoslovak question" be brought to the UN General Assembly meeting, seeking a decision on the immediate withdrawal of the troops of the Warsaw Pact countries. The representatives of Hungary and the USSR voted against. Later, the representative of Czechoslovakia also demanded that this issue be removed from consideration by the UN. The situation in Czechoslovakia was also discussed in the NATO Permanent Council. The military intervention of the five states was condemned by the governments of the countries of socialist orientation - Yugoslavia, Albania, Romania, and China. Under these conditions, the USSR and its allies were forced to look for a way out of the situation.
On August 23-26, 1968, negotiations were held in Moscow between the Soviet and Czechoslovak leadership. Their result was a joint communique, in which the timing of the withdrawal of Soviet troops was made dependent on the normalization of the situation in Czechoslovakia.
At the end of August, the Czechoslovak leaders returned to their homeland. At the beginning of September, the first signs of stabilization of the situation appeared. The result was the withdrawal of the troops of the countries participating in the action from many cities and towns of Czechoslovakia to specially designated places of deployment. Aviation was concentrated on dedicated airfields. The withdrawal of troops from the territory of Czechoslovakia was hampered by the continued internal political instability, as well as the increased activity of NATO near the Czechoslovak borders, which was expressed in the regrouping of the bloc's troops stationed on the territory of the FRG in close proximity to the borders of the GDR and Czechoslovakia, in conducting various exercises. On October 16, 1968, an agreement was signed between the governments of the USSR and Czechoslovakia on the conditions for the temporary presence of Soviet troops on the territory of Czechoslovakia "in order to ensure the security of the socialist community." In accordance with the document, the Central Group of Forces (TsGV) was created - an operational territorial association of the Armed Forces of the USSR, temporarily stationed on the territory of Czechoslovakia. The headquarters of the CGV was located in the town of Milovice near Prague. The combat strength included two tank and three motorized rifle divisions.
The signing of the treaty was one of the main military-political results of the introduction of troops of five states, which satisfied the leadership of the USSR and the Department of Internal Affairs. On October 17, 1968, a phased withdrawal of allied troops from the territory of Czechoslovakia began, which was completed by mid-November.
The action of the troops of the Warsaw Pact countries, despite the absence of hostilities, was accompanied by losses on both sides. From August 21 to October 20, 1968, as a result of hostile actions of citizens of Czechoslovakia, 11 Soviet military personnel were killed, 87 people were wounded and injured. In addition, they died in accidents, with careless handling of weapons, died of diseases, etc. another 85 people. According to the Czechoslovak government commission, in the period from August 21 to December 17, 1968, 94 Czechoslovak citizens were killed, 345 people were injured of varying severity.
As a result of the introduction of troops into Czechoslovakia, a radical change in the course of the Czechoslovak leadership took place. The process of political and economic reforms in the country was interrupted.
Since the second half of the 1980s, the process of rethinking the Czechoslovak events of 1968 began. In the "Declaration of the leaders of Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR, Poland and the Soviet Union" of December 4, 1989 and in the "Declaration of the Soviet government" of December 5, 1989, the decision on the entry of allied troops into Czechoslovakia was recognized as erroneous and condemned as unreasonable interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign states.
On February 26, 1990, an agreement was signed in Moscow on the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia. By this time, the CGU was located in 67 settlements in the Czech Republic and in 16 in Slovakia. The combat strength included over 1.1 thousand tanks and 2.5 thousand infantry fighting vehicles, more than 1.2 thousand artillery pieces, 100 aircraft and 170 helicopters; the total number of military personnel was over 92 thousand people, civilian personnel - 44.7 thousand people. In July 1991, the TsGV was abolished in connection with the completion of the withdrawal of troops to the territory of the Russian Federation.
On the night of August 21, 1968, troops of five Warsaw Pact countries (the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR and Poland) entered Czechoslovakia. The operation, codenamed "Danube", aimed to stop the process of reforms taking place in Czechoslovakia, initiated by the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubcek - "Prague Spring".
From a geopolitical point of view, a dangerous situation arose for the USSR in one of the key countries of Eastern Europe. The prospect of Czechoslovakia withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact, which would inevitably undermine the Eastern European military security system, was unacceptable for the USSR.
Within 36 hours, the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries established complete control over Czechoslovak territory. On August 23-26, 1968, negotiations were held in Moscow between the Soviet and Czechoslovak leadership. Their result was a joint communique, in which the timing of the withdrawal of Soviet troops was made dependent on the normalization of the situation in Czechoslovakia.
On October 16, 1968, an agreement was signed between the governments of the USSR and Czechoslovakia on the conditions for the temporary stay of Soviet troops on the territory of Czechoslovakia, according to which part of the Soviet troops remained on the territory of Czechoslovakia "in order to ensure the security of the socialist community." In accordance with the treaty, the Central Group of Forces (CGV) was created. The headquarters of the CGV was located in the town of Milovice near Prague. The treaty contained provisions on respect for the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia and non-interference in its internal affairs. The signing of the treaty was one of the main military-political results of the introduction of troops of five states, which satisfied the leadership of the USSR and the Department of Internal Affairs.
On October 17, 1968, a phased withdrawal of allied troops from the territory of Czechoslovakia began, which was completed by mid-November.
As a result of the introduction of troops into Czechoslovakia, a radical change in the course of the Czechoslovak leadership took place. The process of political and economic reforms in the country was interrupted. In 1969, at the April plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Gustav Husak was elected first secretary. In December 1970, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia adopted the document "Lessons of Crisis Development in the Party and Society after the XIII Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia", which generally condemned the political course of Alexander Dubcek and his entourage.
In the second half of the 1980s, the process of rethinking the Czechoslovak events of 1968 began. allied troops to Czechoslovakia was recognized as erroneous as unreasonable interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
On December 10, 1989, after the victory of the "Velvet Revolution" (the bloodless overthrow of the communist regime as a result of street protests in November-December 1989), the President of Czechoslovakia, Gustav Husak, resigned, and a new coalition government of national accord was formed, in which the communists and the opposition received the same number of seats. A "reconstruction" of the parliament was carried out, where the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia lost its majority. On December 28-29, 1989, the reorganized parliament elected Alexander Dubcek as its chairman.
In 1968, Soviet tanks entered Prague. The suppression of the Prague Spring became one of the most senseless foreign policy actions of the USSR and one of the most harmful to the image of Russians abroad.
In the 1960s, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia experienced a division into two camps - a conservative one led by a Stalinist, the head of the KChS and the country's president Antonin Novotny, and a "reformist" one, which was represented by the first secretary of the Communist Party of Slovakia, Alexander Dubcek.
In January 1968, the party congress of the CPSU elected Dubcek as the first secretary. Dubcek launched reforms: decentralization of power, admission of workers to power, liberalization of the media, and the like. He wanted to combine Soviet "socialist construction" with European social democracy. He called it "socialism with a human face."
In March 1968, the heroes of World War II, the legendary commander of the Czechoslovak brigade, Ludwig Svoboda, became president of the country. He supported Dubcek's reforms. Thus began the Prague Spring.
Liberalization in Czechoslovakia angered communist leaders in other countries. The Kremlin was afraid that this would lead to a weakening of the military power of the Warsaw Pact (a defensive pact between the countries of the socialist camp), because the borders of Czechoslovakia bordered on West Germany, which was a member of NATO.
On the night of August 21, 1968, the troops of the Warsaw Pact began an invasion of the fraternal republic. 300,000 soldiers and 7,000 tanks came to fight the "counter-revolution". Thus began Operation Danube, the only non-training military action of the Warsaw Pact.
A column of tanks on the way to Prague.
Crushed bus, which blocked the path of movement of tanks.
Morning August 21st.Soviet troops on the streets of Prague. Riding on armored vehicles. At this time, the landing force had already captured the government buildings. At 10 am, KGB workers loaded the party, government and parliamentary leadership of Czechoslovakia into landing armored personnel carriers, took them to the airfield, put them on a landing plane and sent them to Moscow.
The army of Czechoslovakia was ordered not to resist the invasion. But from the very morning, the population began to destroy and sketch street signs. The disoriented Soviet troops were not immediately able to capture the radio, the station and the newspapers. A large crowd had gathered at the radio station in the morning, barricading the street. Molotov cocktail flew, in response - bullets.
The scene at the radio building. Smoke and fire, a tank covered with fire extinguisher foam, the crew quickly leaves the car, one tanker covers those who get out. A demonstrator rushes at him: "Come on, shoot!"
During the entire invasion, 108 civilians were killed. Of them on the first day - 58 Most of them are here by the radio building
The act of self-immolation committed by Ryszard Sivec at the "Stadium of the Decade" in protest against the occupation of Czechoslovakia. Following R. Sivets, several more people expressed their protest by self-immolation.
Soviet tanks and artillery settle down on the Vltava embankment
Spontaneous rally. Poster "Never with the USSR!" - A remake of the official communist slogan "Forever with the USSR!"
Demonstration in Prague.
After lunch, the clashes finally stopped, communication began. Residents of the cities convinced the soldiers that they did not need "international assistance", they had their own socialist party and government.
A familiar scene for Prague and Bratislava at the end of August 1968. "Here, read here the appeal of our government ..." - "We have an order!"
One of the many homemade posters. There was another option: "The technology is great, but there is no culture"
lingerie shop window poster
Karlovy Vary, 21 August. A group of students on a truck.
Prague, 22 August. Soviet armored vehicles surrounded by city residents.
When news of the invasion became known, the government of Czechoslovakia ordered the army not to resist. Not a single soldier violated this order and did not shoot. But they went to rallies. On the poster: "No one called you, invaders"
Prague, 29 August. Students burn Soviet newspapers on Wenceslas Square.
None of the Czech politicians dared to create a "revolutionary government". The congress of the CPSU supported Dubcek. The shocked Kremlin agreed to keep his team in power, promising to withdraw the army. In September 1968, Soviet tanks left Prague. But not Czechoslovakia. The so-called "Central Group of Forces" of the USSR remained in the country - 150,000 soldiers. Within a year, Dubcek and Sloboda were fired. "Hawks" came to power in the CPSU and began to tighten the screws. The "Prague Revolution" was defeated.
And this victory was the beginning of the end, primarily in the sphere of the image of the USSR. From the beautiful country of bright people who defeated Nazism and launched a man into space, the Union again became a prison of nations. The European "left" has finally turned its back on the East, concentrating on its own problems. The further progress of the "proletarian revolution" in the world, which had been going on since 1917, stopped.
Video of the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia
Operation Danube was the largest military campaign for the USSR since World War II. And it was the end for the Soviet Union. The Kremlin no longer talked about any reforms. A long period of "stagnation" began - the bureaucratic apparatus ossified, corruption flourished, instead of real actions, the practice of ritual speeches and replies appeared. The last leader of the CPSU, M. Gorbachev, made attempts to change something, but it was too late.
On August 20, 1969, the anniversary of the events in Czechoslovakia, a group of Soviet dissidents made the following statement:
"On August 21 last year, a tragic event occurred: the troops of the Warsaw Pact countries invaded friendly Czechoslovakia.
This action was intended to stop the democratic path of development, which the whole country has embarked on. The whole world followed with hope the post-January development of Czechoslovakia. It seemed that the idea of socialism, defamed in the Stalin era, would now be rehabilitated. The tanks of the Warsaw Pact countries destroyed this hope. On this sad anniversary, we declare that we continue to disagree with this decision, which threatens the future of socialism.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Czechoslovakia, who wanted to prove that socialism with a human face is possible.
These lines are dictated by pain for our homeland, which we want to see truly great, free and happy.
And we are firmly convinced that a people who oppress other peoples cannot be free and happy.
— T. Baeva, Yu. Vishnevskaya, I. Gabai, N. Gorbanevskaya, Z. M. Grigorenko, M. Dzhemilev, N. Emelkina, S. Kovalev, V. Krasin, A. Levitin (Krasnov), L. Petrovsky, L. Plyushch, G. Podyapolsky, L. Ternovsky, I. Yakir, P. Yakir, A. Yakobson"
The Czechoslovak Republic at the beginning of 1968 experienced a period of liberalization associated with the name of Alexander Dubcek and his active reformist activities. It provoked a negative reaction from the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The events went down in history called the Prague Spring, the basis of which was to expand the rights and freedoms of the population, to decentralize power in the state, to weaken control over the media, to provide greater rights to freedom of movement.
Reforms by A. Dubcek
The official date of liberalization is January 4, 1968, when A. Novotny, who at that time was the president of Czechoslovakia, was removed from power. A. Dubcek headed the government and the party, who immediately took a course towards a market economy and the weakening of total control in the country. His supporters were elected to the presidium and secretariat of the Communist Party, which helped Dubcek implement his reforms.The changes affected the following areas:
Censorship and freedom of speech;
Established control over the work of security agencies;
Creation of private enterprises;
Plants and factories received more choice in the organization of production. Bodies of workers' self-government were created;
The beginning was laid for the emergence of new political forces and informal associations.
Separately, it was planned to expand the rights of the republics, for which Dubcek wanted to carry out federalization. The Greek Catholic Church was restored in Slovakia.
Support for the reforms of the new leadership of the country was provided by all sectors of society - from villagers to the political elite.
Simultaneously with domestic politics, Dubcek and his supporters sought to distance themselves from the Soviet Union. This was also facilitated by the mood in society, in which protests against the total rule of the party were increasingly heard. This was also stated by representatives of the intelligentsia, who issued declarations against the dominance of Soviet power. In addition, the media launched an active propaganda campaign directed against the USSR and the method of management.At the same time, Czechoslovakia was not going to leave the Warsaw Pact Organization (WTO), but only wanted to gain more internal economic and political independence.
The reaction of the USSR
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union L. Brezhnev adopted a special doctrine providing for the limitation of the sovereignty of the socialist countries. Within its framework, an order was given to bring the ATS troops into Czechoslovakia, which happened on August 21, 1968. The operation was called the Danube, which began from Prague. In general, 300 thousand troops and several thousand tanks were brought into the country. Within a few days, the entire political leadership of the country was arrested, important strategic objects were taken. The Czechoslovak armed forces offered no resistance.Protests in the country
A wave of public resistance was raised thanks to the active participation of the media. Activists scattered leaflets on the streets of the cities, in which they talked about the introduction of troops. Therefore, protests began, barricades were erected, attacks on Soviet military personnel, tanks, and armored vehicles took place. Basically, Molotov cocktails were used.As a result of the riots, 11 soldiers of the Soviet army were killed, more than 80 were wounded and injured. Losses among the civilian population were much more significant. More than 100 people were killed, half a thousand people were injured.
Radio and television were put out of action, and city transport was stopped.
Such a policy of the USSR caused a wave of mass protests in other Soviet republics, as well as abroad and a number of international organizations. For the slightest dissent, they were fired from their jobs, and those who protested were arrested.
The Dubcek government was forced to sign the Anti-Crisis Program dictated by the party leaders of the Communist Party. All the achievements of liberalization were brought to naught. A wave of repressions swept across Czechoslovakia, a harsh regime of occupation and persecution of dissidents was established. Moscow's henchman, Gustav Husak, again became the head of the country.
