Josef Špacek
Encyclopedia
Josef Špaček was a Czechoslovak communist
politician
who was an important member of the government during the 1968 reformist
period known as the Prague Spring
. He was appointed to the Central Committee
of the communist party of Czechoslovakia after communist party leader Antonín Novotný
was replaced by Slovak politician Alexander Dubček
. Along with Dubček and other Central Committee members, Špaček was arrested by the Soviets
during the Warsaw Pact
invasion of Czechoslovakia (22 August 1968). In the years following the collapse of the Dubček government, Špaček was relegated to low-level, non-political positions, including working as a forestry
official.
, liberated Czechoslovakia became increasingly subject to political pressure from the Soviet Union. Although the pre-war democracy was initially restored, by 1948, Communist influence had grown to the point that a puppet communist state under Clemet Gottwald took power in February of that year. The communist party retained power until the pro-democracy, anti-communist Velvet Revolution
of 1989. Following the death of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin
, however, some degree of reform took place in several of the Iron Curtain
countries of central and eastern Europe
.
Dissatisfaction with only modest reformist development within Czechoslovakia led to political maneuvering against First Party Secretary Antonín Novotný
. Early in 1968, Novotný was ousted and replaced by Slovak Alexander Dubček. Špaček, a party official from Moravia
, was soon appointed to the Central Committee, along with other reformist communist politicians, where he was a voice for increased democratization .
Five weeks before the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
, Špaček was injured in a head-on automobile collision outside the town of Havličův Brod (along the Bratislava
-Prague
highway) and briefly hospitalized.
Following the invasion of August 1968, Dubček and the other leading politicians were returned to their positions in the party and government, but within a year, under Soviet pressure, they were swept out, to be replaced by the hard-line government under Gustáv Husák
. Like Špaček, Dubček was also relegated to minor posts, a common fate for the reformists.
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who was an important member of the government during the 1968 reformist
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
period known as the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
. He was appointed to the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the communist party of Czechoslovakia after communist party leader Antonín Novotný
Antonín Novotný
Antonín Novotný was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1968, and also held the post of President of Czechoslovakia from 1957 to 1968. He was born in Letňany, now part of Prague....
was replaced by Slovak politician Alexander Dubček
Alexander Dubcek
Alexander Dubček , also known as Dikita, was a Slovak politician and briefly leader of Czechoslovakia , famous for his attempt to reform the communist regime during the Prague Spring...
. Along with Dubček and other Central Committee members, Špaček was arrested by the Soviets
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
invasion of Czechoslovakia (22 August 1968). In the years following the collapse of the Dubček government, Špaček was relegated to low-level, non-political positions, including working as a forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
official.
Background
Following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, liberated Czechoslovakia became increasingly subject to political pressure from the Soviet Union. Although the pre-war democracy was initially restored, by 1948, Communist influence had grown to the point that a puppet communist state under Clemet Gottwald took power in February of that year. The communist party retained power until the pro-democracy, anti-communist Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
of 1989. Following the death of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, however, some degree of reform took place in several of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
countries of central and eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Dissatisfaction with only modest reformist development within Czechoslovakia led to political maneuvering against First Party Secretary Antonín Novotný
Antonín Novotný
Antonín Novotný was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1968, and also held the post of President of Czechoslovakia from 1957 to 1968. He was born in Letňany, now part of Prague....
. Early in 1968, Novotný was ousted and replaced by Slovak Alexander Dubček. Špaček, a party official from Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, was soon appointed to the Central Committee, along with other reformist communist politicians, where he was a voice for increased democratization .
Five weeks before the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
, Špaček was injured in a head-on automobile collision outside the town of Havličův Brod (along the Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
-Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
highway) and briefly hospitalized.
Following the invasion of August 1968, Dubček and the other leading politicians were returned to their positions in the party and government, but within a year, under Soviet pressure, they were swept out, to be replaced by the hard-line government under Gustáv Husák
Gustáv Husák
Gustáv Husák was a Slovak politician, president of Czechoslovakia and a long-term Communist leader of Czechoslovakia and of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia...
. Like Špaček, Dubček was also relegated to minor posts, a common fate for the reformists.