Outline the causes of the Prague Spring, 1968.

The Prague Spring of 1968 was caused by several factors, most notably, a growing desire to address the lack of freedoms available to citizens of Czechoslovakia. This is because it was under the tight ideological control of the Soviet Union, a powerful Communist superpower. More specifically, the Prague Spring was triggered by widespread demands to break away from USSR control, stemming from areas of contention. For instance, the fact that the industrial output of Czechoslovakia benefitted and enriched the USSR was becoming a major area of resentment. The overall essence of the Prague Spring was a desire for self-determination and self-rule, away from the influences and pressures inflicted by the Soviet Union. The demands of the Czech people are best summed up in Dubček's 'Action Plan', announced in April 1968. This is characterised by a strong desire to: remove state control over industry; express greater tolerance to the concept of freedom of speech, and promote trade with West Germany. These reforms represent the Prague Spring, a period of hope and new beginnings in Czechoslovakia, all implemented under Dubček's notorious phrase: 'Socialism with a human face.'