Answer ALL questions. Write in full sentences for Questions 15, 16 and 17. You are advised to spend about 65 minutes on this pack.
1
Give the year in which Alexander Dubcek became First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party.
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
State the phrase Dubcek used to describe the kind of reformed communism he wanted to introduce in Czechoslovakia.
(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)
3
State two features of the reforms Dubcek's government introduced in 1968.
(Total for Question 3 is 2 marks)
4
Name the document, published in April 1968, that formally set out Dubcek's reform programme.
(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)
5
State one reason why the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact leaders were alarmed by events in Czechoslovakia in 1968.
(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)
6
Give the month and year in which Warsaw Pact leaders sent Dubcek a letter warning him to reverse his reforms.
(Total for Question 6 is 2 marks)
7
State what happened at the talks between Dubcek and Soviet leaders at Cierna nad Tisou and Bratislava in late July and early August 1968.
(Total for Question 7 is 2 marks)
8
Give the month and year in which Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia.
(Total for Question 8 is 2 marks)
9
Name one Warsaw Pact country that took part in the invasion of Czechoslovakia, and name the one Warsaw Pact country that refused to take part.
(Total for Question 9 is 2 marks)
10
State how most Czechoslovak civilians responded to the Warsaw Pact invasion.
(Total for Question 10 is 2 marks)
11
Give the year in which Dubcek was formally replaced as Czechoslovak Communist Party leader by Gustav Husak.
(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)
12
State what the Brezhnev Doctrine, announced later in 1968, claimed the Soviet Union had the right to do.
(Total for Question 12 is 2 marks)
13
Describe two features of the Prague Spring reforms introduced by Alexander Dubcek in 1968.
(Total for Question 13 is 4 marks)
14
Explain two reasons why the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact states were alarmed by events in Czechoslovakia in 1968.
(Total for Question 14 is 4 marks)
15
Explain two consequences of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia (August 1968).
(Total for Question 15 is 8 marks)
16
Write a narrative account analysing how the Prague Spring developed between Alexander Dubcek becoming First Secretary in January 1968 and the Warsaw Pact invasion in August 1968.
You may use the following information in your answer: - the Action Programme of April 1968 - the Warsaw Letter of July 1968
You should also use information of your own.
(Total for Question 16 is 8 marks)
17
Explain two of the following: (a) the importance of Dubcek's reforms for relations within the Eastern Bloc (b) the importance of the invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) for the Brezhnev Doctrine (c) the importance of events in Czechoslovakia in 1968 for the wider Cold War
You must answer on TWO parts.
(Total for Question 17 is 16 marks)
Mark scheme · EDX.CW5 Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91: Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring, 1968
Question 1
B1 1968
Answer: 1968
Question 2
B1 'socialism with a human face'
Answer: Socialism with a human face
Question 3
B1 press censorship was relaxed, allowing much greater freedom of speech and criticism of the government
B1 plans for economic reform and eventual moves towards a more open political system were announced, while officially remaining within a socialist framework
Answer: Relaxed press censorship and greater free speech, plus plans for economic and political reform within socialism.
Question 4
B1 the Action Programme
Answer: The Action Programme
Question 5
B1 identifies a reason, e.g. they feared the reforms could weaken the Communist Party's control over Czechoslovakia
B1 supporting detail, e.g. they were also concerned reform ideas might spread to other Eastern Bloc countries, weakening Soviet control across the region and threatening the security buffer the USSR relied on
Answer: Fear of weakened communist control in Czechoslovakia, and concern that reform ideas might spread to other Eastern Bloc states.
Question 6
B1 July
B1 1968
Answer: July 1968
Question 7
B1 Dubcek and Soviet leaders held direct negotiations and appeared to reach a compromise, with Dubcek reaffirming Czechoslovakia's loyalty to the Warsaw Pact
B1 however, the Soviet leadership remained unconvinced that the reforms would be reversed, and continued to prepare for military intervention
Answer: An apparent compromise was reached, but the Soviet leadership remained unconvinced and continued to prepare for intervention.
Question 8
B1 August
B1 1968
Answer: August 1968
Question 9
B1 any one participating country, e.g. the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Hungary or Bulgaria
B1 Romania (which refused to send troops)
Answer: For example, the Soviet Union took part; Romania refused to take part.
Question 10
B1 there was widespread non-violent, passive resistance rather than armed fighting
B1 for example, people removed or altered street signs and house numbers to confuse invading troops, and crowds gathered to argue with soldiers
Answer: Widespread passive, non-violent resistance, such as removing street signs to confuse invading troops.
Question 11
B1 1969
Answer: 1969
Question 12
B1 it claimed the USSR had the right to intervene, including militarily, in any Warsaw Pact or socialist state where communist rule was considered to be under threat
B1 this became known as the policy of 'limited sovereignty' for Eastern Bloc states
Answer: The USSR claimed the right to intervene militarily in any socialist state where communist rule was under threat, a policy known as limited sovereignty.
Question 13
B2 greater freedom of expression: press censorship was relaxed, allowing newspapers, radio and television to criticise the government and discuss previously forbidden topics
B2 political and economic reform: the Action Programme (April 1968) proposed elements of a more open political system and market-based economic reforms, while stating Czechoslovakia would remain socialist and within the Warsaw Pact
Answer: Relaxed censorship allowing much greater press freedom, and an Action Programme proposing political and economic reform within a still-socialist Czechoslovakia.
Question 14
B2 control within Czechoslovakia: relaxed censorship and growing public criticism raised fears among Soviet leaders that the Communist Party's authority in Czechoslovakia could collapse entirely if the reforms continued unchecked
B2 the wider Eastern Bloc: Soviet leaders feared that if reforms succeeded in Czechoslovakia without consequence, similar reform movements might spread to other satellite states, weakening the security buffer of loyal, communist-governed states along the USSR's western border
Answer: Fear that the Communist Party's authority in Czechoslovakia could collapse, and fear that reform might spread to other Eastern Bloc states.
Question 15
Level 1 (1-2): Identifies one or two general consequences of the invasion, with little or no supporting detail or explanation.
Level 2 (3-4): Identifies and begins to explain one consequence, supported by accurate detail.
Level 3 (5-6): Explains two consequences of the invasion, each supported by accurate and relevant detail.
Level 4 (7-8): Explains two consequences in a well-developed, logically structured way, supported throughout by precise and accurate detail, showing how the consequences connect.
Indicative content:
Dubcek's reforms were reversed and, by April 1969, he had been replaced as party leader by the hardline Gustav Husak, who restored strict communist control and press censorship in a process known as 'normalisation', ending the Prague Spring's changes.
The invasion led to the announcement of the Brezhnev Doctrine, which stated the USSR's right to intervene in any Warsaw Pact state where socialism was judged to be under threat, sending a clear warning to other Eastern Bloc countries not to attempt similar reforms.
Western governments condemned the invasion but did not intervene militarily, recognising, as with Hungary in 1956, that Czechoslovakia lay within the accepted Soviet sphere of influence, showing the limits of Western willingness to challenge Soviet control of Eastern Europe directly.
The invasion damaged the international reputation of the Soviet Union and of communism more widely, including among Western European communist parties, some of whom publicly criticised the invasion and began to distance themselves from strict Soviet-style communism.
Question 16
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, generalised statements about the Prague Spring, with little organisation or sense of change over time.
Level 2 (3-4): Some accurate knowledge is deployed, with limited organisation into a sequence; the account may be more a list of events than a developed narrative.
Level 3 (5-6): The account is organised and mostly coherent, and shows some analysis of how the crisis developed, with accurate supporting detail.
Level 4 (7-8): The answer demonstrates a coherent, well-organised narrative that analyses connections between events across the crisis, showing clearly how reform led to Soviet intervention, fully supported by precise and accurate detail.
Indicative content:
In January 1968, Alexander Dubcek became First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, replacing the more hardline Antonin Novotny, and began introducing reforms intended to modernise and liberalise communist rule while remaining within the Warsaw Pact.
In April 1968, the Action Programme formally set out Dubcek's reform plans, including relaxed censorship and moves towards economic and political change, and over the following weeks Czechoslovak public life became visibly freer, with open criticism of the government appearing in the press.
This pace of change alarmed the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact leaders, who in July 1968 sent Dubcek the Warsaw Letter, warning him directly to reverse the reforms or face unspecified consequences.
Direct negotiations at Cierna nad Tisou and Bratislava in late July and early August 1968 produced an apparent compromise, with Dubcek reaffirming loyalty to the Warsaw Pact, but Soviet leaders remained unconvinced that Czechoslovak communism was genuinely secure.
On the night of 20-21 August 1968, Warsaw Pact forces (though not Romania) invaded Czechoslovakia, meeting largely peaceful civilian resistance rather than armed defence, and Dubcek was removed from power, showing how a period of gradual reform ended in direct Soviet military intervention once diplomacy failed to satisfy Moscow's concerns.
Question 17
Level 1 (1-4): For each part answered: identifies a general point of importance, with little or no supporting detail or explanation.
Level 2 (5-8): For each part answered: begins to explain importance, supported by some accurate detail.
Level 3 (9-12): For each part answered: explains importance clearly, supported by accurate and relevant detail, with some analysis of consequences.
Level 4 (13-16): For each part answered: explains importance in a well-developed, analytical way, fully supported by precise and accurate detail, showing clearly why the event mattered for the outcome named.
Indicative content:
(a) Dubcek's reforms were important for relations within the Eastern Bloc because they raised the possibility, for the first time since 1956, that a Warsaw Pact state might significantly loosen communist control and still remain within the alliance, testing how far the Soviet Union would tolerate independent action by its allies.
(b) The invasion was important for the Brezhnev Doctrine because it provided the direct occasion for the USSR to formally state its right to intervene in any socialist state where communism was under threat, turning what had been an unstated assumption (as with Hungary in 1956) into an openly declared policy.
(c) Events in Czechoslovakia were important for the wider Cold War because they showed the continuing limits of change within the Soviet sphere of influence even as some Western observers had hoped for gradual liberalisation, and the episode damaged the reputation of Soviet-style communism internationally without leading to any direct Western military response.
A strong answer on any two parts explains a clear causal chain from the named development to the outcome specified, using precise dates, and may note that the invasion reaffirmed rather than changed the practical boundaries of Soviet control established since the late 1940s.