Word: dubbings
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...political tragedy of Czechoslovakia has turned into an intensely human drama that centers on Alexander Dubček, the architect of the country's short-lived "springtime of freedom." As one of the few courageous reformers in Communist history, Dubček sought, in his words, to give Communism "a human face...
After he engineered the ouster of longtime President and Party Boss Antonin Novotny in early 1968, Dubček launched a series of reforms that evoked the cheers not only of Czechoslovaks but of people throughout the rest of the East Bloc as well. Among other things, he ended press censorship, encouraged artistic freedom in films and literature, drew up plans to make the National Assembly a truly representative body, and allowed criticism within the party. He also started to liberalize the country's calcified economy. "Since the party cannot change the people," Dubček declared, "it must...
...Eyed and Aged. The East Bloc's orthodox leaders, notably East Germany's Walter Ulbricht, felt otherwise. Fearful that Dubček's reforms would ignite a liberal movement throughout the bloc, the Kremlin sent tanks to crush Prague's experiment. Because of his strong popular backing in Czechoslovakia, the Soviets for a time allowed Dubček to continue as party first secretary while compelling him to dismantle the very reforms that he had enacted...
Then in April 1969, Dubček was shunted aside in favor of Gustav Husak, who publicly thanked the Soviets for rescuing Czechoslovakia from the danger of Dubček's liberalism. Nonetheless, Husak, who in Czechoslovak terms is a moderate, refused to accede to demands of ultraconservatives who wanted Dubček punished for his sins. Instead, Husak managed to send Dubček and his wife Anna into the relative safety of political exile as ambassador to Turkey. Sad-eyed and aged far beyond his 48 years, Dubček kept mostly to himself in Ankara, brushed...
...surprisingly, Dubčček is seen most often with Soviet Ambassador Vasily Grubyakov, whom he visited even before presenting his credentials to President Cevdet Sunay. "That call," said one observer, "was his real presentation of credentials...