Word: czechoslovakias
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...word: isolation. Dependent on the presence of 20 Red army divisions for his survival, Ulbricht fears any diplomatic development that might leave his half of Germany stranded in Central Europe among countries that no longer practice his rigid, monolithic form of Communism. Alexander Dubcek's experiment in liberalizing Czechoslovakia thus represents a particular nightmare for the old East German boss. He fears that the Czecho slovaks will recognize West Germany in return for economic help. That, according to Ulbricht's domino theory, would lead to similar action by Hungary and the eventual isolation of his own satrapy...
That done, Ulbricht popped over to Czechoslovakia for his talk with Dubcek. He apparently now realizes as never before that many of the East European party bosses, including Dubcek, are impatient with the way Ulbricht has tried for years to block their efforts to normalize relations with Bonn. Nonetheless, he wants to force West Germany to come to some sort of understanding with East Germany before Bonn is allowed to make major diplomatic advances elsewhere in the East bloc. Thus, even though he made no progress at Karlovy Vary in trying to reverse Czechoslovakia's internal reforms, Ulbricht...
...begins to look as though no Communist leader in Eastern Europe is going to consider his summer complete without at least one visit to Czechoslovakia. First it was nearly the entire Soviet Politburo that dropped in, hoping to persuade Czechoslovak Party Chief Alexander Dubcek and his colleagues to mend their reforming ways. Next came Yugoslavia's Marshal Josip Broz Tito to congratulate Dubcek & Co. on standing firm against Moscow. Tito had scarcely departed Prague last week when another visitor arrived, this one again hostile: East Germany's Walter Ulbricht, who had led the propaganda barrage against the Dubcek...
Though Ulbricht had come to Czechoslovakia to sign the Bratislava truce along with the Russians, Poles, Hungarians and Bulgarians two weeks ago, the Czechoslovaks soon discovered that Ulbricht remained a bitter opponent. In talks at the spa of Karlovy Vary that lasted from mid-morning until 2 a.m. the next day, Ulbricht attacked Dubcek's internal reforms and warned against any shift in Prague's foreign policy that would further undermine East bloc unity (see following story). The Czechoslovaks were willing to reassure Ulbricht about their foreign policy, but they insisted that they needed...
...affairs. As a gesture of unity, Ceausescu and the Czechoslovaks signed a new friendship pact between the two countries. The Czechoslovaks and Rumanians also discussed embarking upon a form of economic cooperation similar to the scheme that had been proposed by Tito. Under Tito's plan, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia will create a sort of two-country common market that will enable each country to draw on the other's investment capital, labor pool and special industrial talents. There were some signs, most notably new attacks in the Soviet press against Dubcek's programs and the resumption...