Socialism with a human face (Czech: socialismus s lidskou tváří, Slovak: socializmus s ľudskou tvárou) is a slogan referring to the reformist and democratic socialist programme of Alexander Dubček and his colleagues, agreed at the Presidium of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in April 1968,[1] after he became chairman of the KSČ in January 1968.
The first author of this slogan was Radovan Richta, and it was a process of moderate democratization, economic modernization, and political liberalization that sought to build an advanced and modern socialist society that valued democratic Czechoslovak tradition[2] while still allowing the Communist Party to continue governing.
Socialism with a human face was vital in initiating the Prague Spring, a period of national democratization and economic decentralization. It was, however, rolled back by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968.
- ^ "The Prague Spring, 1968". Library of Congress. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
- ^ Lazarowitz, Arlene; Bingham, Emily (2005-02-01). "Socialism With a Human Face: The Leadership and Legacy of the Prague Spring". History Teacher. 38 (2): 273. doi:10.2307/1555723. ISSN 0018-2745. JSTOR 1555723.