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1965
- February
- Radical reform of economy is adopted.
- Archbishop Reran is named Cardinal; leaves permanently for Rome.
1966
- January
- Economic Reform Program (ERP) is introduced.
- May-June
- 13th Czechoslovak Communist Party Congress elects more liberal Central Committee.
1967
- June
- Liberal intellectuals attack conservative Novotny regime at fourth congress of Czechoslovak Writers Union.
- July
- Novotny visits Moscow to reaffirm his policy position and to gain Soviet support.
- October
- Slovak leaders, including Dubcek, launch strong personal attack at Central Committee meeting against Novotny for his poor handling of Czech-Slovak problems.
- Prague students demonstrate in streets in protest over poor living conditions, but are intercepted and brutally manhandled by police.
- December
- Brezhnev arrives in Prague to assess political situation and to encourage Czechoslovak party leaders to maintain stable regime.
- Novotny is attacked by both Czech and Slovak leaders at Central Committee plenum, and continues to lose support on all levels of Communist Party.
1968
- January
- Central Committee plenum ousts Novotny as Party First Secretary and replaces him with Slovak leader Alexander Dubcek. Four additional Dubcek supporters also elected to Presidium, thus providing moderate Dubcek group with a majority.
- Dubcek visits Moscow alone for first time as party chief.
- February
- Dubcek meets separately with Hungary's Kadar and Poland's Gomulka.
- Czechoslovak Army Major General Sejna, who is implicated in attempted military coup in support of Novotny, defects to United States.
- First issue of Literarni Listy, new journal of Liberal intellectuals, appears in Prague.
- March
- Novotny resigns from presidency, allegedly for reasons of health; wave of resignations among high-ranking regime conservatives follows.
- Dubcek attends meeting with Soviet, Polish, East German, Bulgarian, and Hungarian leaders in Dresden in abortive attempt by Prague's bloc allies to influence internal Czechoslovak developments.
- Novotny resigns from Party Presidium.
- April
- New Party Presidium and government cabinet are announced; Oldrich Cernik replaces Lenart as Premier; party announces its Action Program designed to fuse socialism with basic elements of democracy.
- May
- Dubcek and other leaders visit Soviet Union to discuss Czechoslovak situation.
- Soviets and Poles conduct military maneuvers along Czechoslovak border.
- Soviet, Polish, East German, Bulgarian, and Hungarian leaders meet in Moscow to present united front against Czechoslovak "democratization."
- Soviet Premier Kosygin and Defense Minister Grechko visit Czechoslovakia to confer with Prague leaders.
- Novotny is ousted from Central Committee and suspended from party membership.
- June-July
- Warsaw Pact "command staff exercises" in Czechoslovakia and Poland result in protracted presence of Soviet troops in Czechoslovakia after maneuvers are over.
- June
- National Assembly passes law abolishing prior censorship.
- Three Prague newspapers publish "2,000 Words" manifesto written by liberal writer Ludvik Vaculik and signed by other liberals demanding acceleration of "democratization" and calling for dismissal of party leaders who have abused their power. Party Presidium denounces manifesto on same day.
- July
- Czech National Council established as provisional counterpart to Slovak National Council, as first step in proposed federative arrangement.
- Soviet, Polish, East German, Hungarian, and Bulgarian leaders meet in Warsaw and draft letter censuring Dubcek regime and Action Program.
- Czechoslovak Minister of National Defense recommends reform of Warsaw Pact command.
- Czechoslovak Party Presidium issues reply to "Warsaw Letter" refuting allegations.
- Soviet Pravda claims that Czechoslovak security forces found secret cache of U.S. arms near West German border.
- Soviet-Warsaw Pact military exercises along Czechoslovakia's borders greatly expand.
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