August 21, 1968 – the invasion of the Warsaw Pact forces

In the night of August 20/21, the armed forces of five Warsaw Pact countries (Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Eastern Germany) crossed the Czechoslovak border. The propaganda called it "fraternal assistance" in response to attempts to reform socialism, the so-called "Prague Spring". The first to be occupied were the country's airports. Over six thousand tanks appeared in the streets during the invasion. The citizens of Czechoslovakia expressed strong opposition to the occupation. There was a struggle for the building of the Czechoslovak Broadcast in Vinohradská Street in Prague (similar to 1945). In 1968, however, it was a lost battle - an army standing against citizens who were only armed with stones. In many places, people tried to discuss with the occupying soldiers, who often didn't grasp the situation. As a result of gunfire and accidents, over a hundred Czechoslovaks died throughout the country. The representatives of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubček, Josef Smrkovský, Zdeněk Kriegel and Josef Špaček were arrested and taken from the seat of the Central Committee to an unknown location. Despite all the resistance (partly also foreign), the occupation forces remained in Czechoslovakia until 1991.

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