The Czech party purged over 28 percent of its members after 1968

Evidence

After the Soviet-led invasion crushed the Prague Spring, however, all these gains were reversed. Since the impetus for the Czech liberalization had come from within the party, the party’s “treachery” was punished. The leadership reasoned that without a reliable membership, it could not count on an effective public loyalty. Therefore, the Czechoslovak response focused on cleansing the membership ranks and clamping down on any “dangerous” initiatives. The result was both a renewed ideologization of party life and an increased fear of pluralism in the party leadership. Entire academic institutes and departments were summarily eliminated during the “normalization” campaign of 1968–70, the press and media were enervated completely, and constant “loyalty checks” made party members acutely aware of the party leadership’s desire for ideological reliability. In the most dramatic purge in the history of state socialism, following the Prague Spring, over 28% of KSCˇ members were expelled from the party within a year. — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 197

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Czechoslovak communists repeatedly purged destructive membership percentages to protect doctrinal purity — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 180; Post-1968 purges destroyed society’s faith in the Czech party’s legitimacy — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 199; Post-1968 Czechoslovakia froze policy rather than courting society — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 233 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Post-1968 purges destroyed society’s faith in the Czech party’s legitimacy #expands (0.85) — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 199
• The Czech communist leadership never considered dissolution and clung to members and structures. #corroborates (0.85) — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 496
• Post-1968 Czechoslovakia froze policy rather than courting society #exemplifies (0.80) — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 233
• Even extreme discreditation did not force the Czech party to reform #corroborates (0.80) — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 446