Editing Socialism with a human face (section)

== Dubček Speech ==
At the 20th [[anniversary]] of Czechoslovakia's "[[Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948|Victorious February]]", Dubček delivered a speech explaining the need for change following the triumph of socialism. He emphasized the need to "enforce the leading role of the party more effectively"<ref name="Navratil52"/> and acknowledged that, despite [[Klement Gottwald]]'s urgings for better relations with society, the Party had too often made heavy-handed rulings on trivial issues. Dubček declared the party's mission was "to build an advanced socialist society on sound economic foundations&nbsp;...&nbsp;a socialism that corresponds to the historical democratic traditions of Czechoslovakia, in accordance with the experience of other communist parties&nbsp;..."<ref name="Navratil52">Navrátil (2006), pp. 52–54</ref>

One of the most important steps towards the reform was the reduction and later abolition of the [[censorship]] on 4 March 1968. It was for the first time in Czechoslovak history the censorship was abolished and it was also probably the only reform fully implemented, although only for a short period. Changing from an instrument of party propaganda, media quickly became the instrument of criticism of the government.<ref name="bulletin">{{cite news|last1=Vondrová|first1=Jitka|title=Pražské Jaro 1968 |url=http://abicko.avcr.cz/2008/4/04/prazske-jaro-1968.html|access-date=21 March 2018|work=Akademický bulletin|publisher=Akademie věd ČR|date=25 June 2008|language=Czech}}</ref><ref name="Hoppe">{{cite news|last1=Hoppe|first1=Jiří|title=Co je Pražské jaro 1968?|url=https://iforum.cuni.cz/IFORUM-5993.html|access-date=21 March 2018|work=iForum|publisher=Charles University|date=6 August 2008|language=Czech}}</ref>