Czechoslovakia, 1968
On August 20, 1968, the Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops in an invasion
of Czechoslovakia to crack down on reformist trends in Prague. Although the
Soviet Union’s action successfully halted the pace of reform in
Czechoslovakia, it had unintended consequences for the unity of the
communist bloc.
Czech youths holding Czechoslovakian flags stand atop of an overturned
truck as other Prague residents surround Soviet tanks in downtown Prague
on Aug. 21, 1968. (AP Photo/Libor Hajsky/CTK)