Conflicting reports create confusion over the role of East Germany in crushing the Prague Spring
The spring of 1968 saw reformist elements in the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia try to realize “socialism with a human face”. Hardliners in the Eastern Bloc, such as DDR leader Walter Ulbricht, were aghast at what they saw as a flirtation with counter-revolution and called on the Soviet Union to put an end to the experiment. On the night of 20 August 1968, half a million soldiers from across the Warsaw Pact marched into Czechoslovakia and seized control of the country. Contrary to Ulbricht’s demands, the Soviet leader Brezhnev ordered the East German military to stay at home; memories of the crimes committed by the Wehrmacht in Czechoslovakia during the Second World War were still too fresh.
Feeling snubbed, Ulbricht did not act to quash rumours circulating within the DDR of East German involvement in the operation. The “fake news” was the result of a failure on the part of Western media outlets to check witness statements rigorously; these false reports spread to East Germany. Even the DDR Parliament believed the lie and apologized to the people of Czechoslovakia weeks later for the “injustice committed” and the “breach of international law”. By that time, the reforms in Czechoslovakia had long since been rescinded and the “Prague Spring” had been defeated.
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