(1968) Brief period of liberalization in Czechoslovakia under
In April 1968 he instituted agricultural and industrial reforms, a revised constitution to guarantee civil rights, autonomy for Slovakia, and democratization of the government and the Communist Party. By June, many Czechs were calling for more rapid progress toward real democracy. Although Dubček believed he could control the situation, the Soviet Union and the {{link=Warsaw Pact">Warsaw Pact countries, alarmed by the threat of a social-democratic Czechoslovakia, invaded the country in August, deposed Dubček, and gradually restored control by reinstalling hard-line communists as leaders.