Peer Review

The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jan 5, 2009 by History

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: The site contains images, descriptions and translations of original documents and other material, mostly from the days surrounding the Soviet led military suppression of the "Prague Spring," part of Dubcek's attempt to create a socialist regime with a "human face" in Czechoslovakia (1968). The materials are drawn from the holdings of the University of Michigan's Special Collections Library, particularly the Labadie Collection of Social Protest.
Type of Material:: A collection with typical images include official portraits of Czechoslovakian leaders (such as President Svoboda), anti-Soviet newspaper articles, magazine articles, protest posters, and political cartoons. Also, the site includes articles from the Soviet perspective, useful for understanding the Marxist-Leninist justification for suppression of Czechoslovakian dissent. Helpful for the English reader, all material is accompanied by translations.
Recommended Uses:: Students of Eastern European history as well as those interested in 1960s popular protest will find this site useful. The events of 1968 in Prague could be compared and contrasted with social protest in Western European countries, particularly Paris, as well as the United States. Also, the suppression of the Prague Spring is a key event in the late Cold War, and is of interest to students examining Soviet suppression of dissent in the East Bloc countries.
Technical Requirements:: none
Identify Major Learning Goals:: To provide students with primary source material regarding a seminal event in the Cold War era and in 20th Century European History. However, none are listed by the site authors.
Target Student Population:: High school to college students.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Some knowledge of European, Soviet, and/or Cold War History would be helpful.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The site makes available translations of foreign language primary source material that would otherwise be closed to the English language reader. The images are generally well-presented.
Concerns:: By today's standards the site may be considered a bit static, no video clips or interactive activities. Materials are limited to those found at University of Michigan and, had the author's wished to expand their site, could have been draw from additional sources. It is recommended that the site include more information about other uprisings against Soviet ideology, to include uprisings in East Germany, Poland, and Hungary, or comparative purposes. More information on the Brezhnev Doctrine would be helpful.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The site offers political cartoons, posters, pamphlets, newspapers, and other publications to acquaint users with aspects "Prague Spring." It is a good beginning to acquaint users with an important aspect of Cold War history.
Concerns:: The inclusion of some sort of learning activity would be helpful, though perhaps outside the site's purpose. As mentioned under quality, some may find this site a bit static. The interpretive value of the site's content is limited to the University of Michigan's collection, and, therefore, may seem narrow in scope.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is well-organized and flows logically from topic to topic. Primary source documents are color coded and easily come up with both the original nd the translaton.
Concerns:: Most images can be seen adequately as presented. All can be enlarged, but the enlargement is not magnified much over the original.

Other Issues and Comments:: For classroom use in a survey course, this site would be excellent. Its relative brevity is a strength in this case. That said, it could be a bit more extensive. Also, this reviewer must take it on faith that the translations from Czech and Russian are adequate.
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