Alexander Dubcek

He was one of the main players during the 1968 Prague Spring and was a representative of the reformatory wing of the Communist Party. In 1925 he followed his parents, who were members of the Esperantist industrial cooperative Interhelpo, and went to the USSR in aid to the Soviet Kyrgyzstan, where he grew up in a socialist environment. During the Second World War he entered the Slovak resistance and lost his brother. In the 50’s he rose through the ranks of the communist hierarchy, and in 1963 he became the head of the Slovak communist branch, immediately showing strong tendencies to liberalize and renew national identity. He eventually became the leader of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, replacing Antonin Novotny in the role. His reformatory tendencies didn’t escape the watchful eye of the USSR and in the end the reaction was swift. On August 20th 1968, the country was invaded by the troops of the Warsaw pact. Dubcek, along with other members of the reformative wing, was taken to Moscow, where he was forced to sign an agreement. His time at the head of the Communist Party was officially ended. In 1989 he was the recipient of the Sakharov Prize