In the autumn of 1968 it had become obvious that the attempt to reform socialism, dubbed the Prague Spring, had come to its end in Czechoslovakia. The political representatives of reformed communists still remained in the positions of power but Czech politics were controlled by the dictation of Moscow.

Another step towards normalization was the session of ÚV KSČ (Central Committee of Communist Party of Czechoslovakia hereinafter abbreviated only to “ÚV KSČ”) which took place from 14th to 17th November 1968 and where the first set of measures with the title: “The main objectives of the party in the next period”, were adopted.

In the vast text which was approved of at the end of the session it is said, besides others that for the party procedure it is “extremely important that sincere and consistent fulfilment of Moscow protocol of August 26th is to be adhered to” and is to be the sole actual basis for the normalization route of the situation in the ČSSR”.

In the first part of the resolution the communists admitted some previous mistakes and identified with the general ideas of the beginnings of the Prague Spring, but at the same time they set themselves in strong opposition to the “antisocialist forces”, which according to them had been formed mainly in KAN and K231 organisations and in the renewed “right-wing non-Marxist Social Democracy”.

The criticism did not even spare journalists. Already during the discussion Vasil Biľak referred to this theme. He criticized the media for “deterrence psychosis”. He was not the only one. Surprisingly Alexander Dubček supported this also and although he did not openly admit the return to the period prior to January of 1968, he criticised the media for anti-socialist articles and implementation of censorship he justified with the fact that there were no legal and political guarantees that excluded the phenomena resistant to the post January policy.

It’s interesting that the voice of Miloš Jakeš was also heard at that session. It was not an epochal performance, but this latter “stake in the fence”, who was still standing at the head of KSČ in November 1989, criticised the anarchism and abandon of the party“.

The Central Committee of communists also carried out some personnel changes at the November session. Among the new secretaries belonged the latter important exponents of normalization: Vasil Biľak, Josef Kempný and Lubomír Štrougal. Štrougal was also elected to the position of chairman of the temporary ÚV KSČ for the control of the party’s functions in the Czech lands. On the contrary, Zdeněk Mlynář a Secretary of ÚV KSČ and one of the protagonists of the Prague Spring, asked to be released from the party’s functions so he could return to his scientific work.

A special assembly of “workers was carried out for the so called support of the adopted resolution. For example in the Ostrava region the participants of the regional assembly of Lidové Milice (militia) raised the hand for the party’s resolution at the end of November and in Bratislava its contents were defended by Gustáv Husák while receiving the delegation of Slovak journalists.

The majority of the public however evaluated the closings of the November session of the Central Committee of communists as another step towards the route to betrayal by politicians.

Source: totalita.cz, ČTK, contemporary press