An Iconic Photograph Of The 1968 Prague Spring

Beginning on January 5, 1968, Communist leader Alexander Dubček led a reform movement in then-Czechoslovakia, a member of the Soviet bloc and Warsaw Pact. Arguing for decentralization of Soviet authority, fewer restrictions on speech, media and travel, Dubček’s biggest–and only lasting–success was in his overseeing the decision to split the country into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Naturally, his reforms were unpopular with the Soviets and resulted in years of occupation from the Soviet Union.