Prague Spring and Invasion

This square filled with Soviet tanks on August 21, 1968. 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded overnight, crushing what people here called the Prague Spring. It started in January. Alexander Dubček introduced reforms that changed everything. Censorship lifted. People spoke freely. They traveled abroad. They called it socialism with a human face. For 8 months, it felt like a different country. Moscow panicked. The Kremlin saw the reforms spreading to other Soviet states. So they sent tanks from 4 countries: the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Poland. The invasion was swift. By morning, tanks parked right here on this historic square. Thousands surrounded them, shouting at confused soldiers. Many troops were barely older than the protesters. People kept asking: Why are you here? The response surprised the invaders. Citizens didn't fight with weapons. They argued with soldiers. They painted over street signs so convoys got lost. Radio stations broadcast from secret locations, moving equipment every few hours. One bewildered soldier asked a woman, Why don't you like us? We came to save you. She shot back, We didn't need saving. 137 people died during the invasion. Within weeks, the reforms were reversed. Dubček was removed. The crackdown lasted 20 years.