Known predominantly as a mass democratic movement, the Prague Spring of 1968 aimed to breathe new life into real socialism, enhancing its effectiveness and attractiveness. Despite its forward-thinking nature, it was thwarted by the ruling elites of the USSR and Soviet bloc countries, who were not ready for such significant liberalization within a socialist country. The scholarly literature on the Prague Spring, including its origins and its suppression following the August 1968 invasion, is both extensive and diverse. However, the incorporation of new sources remains an ongoing necessity. Notes and reports from Soviet delegations and individual experts in various fields, dispatched to Czechoslovakia by diverse Soviet structures (such as the USSR Academy of Sciences, ministries and departments, and associations of writers and artists), provide new insights into the processes aimed at improving the existing model of socialism in the neighboring state. We present to our readers the report of the Soviet delegation that visited Czechoslovakia in the fall of 1967 as a result of contacts between associations of writers. Dialogue with philologists, writers, and student audiences enabled the Soviet guests to better understand the dominant ideas within Czechoslovak society on the eve of the Prague Spring.
Czechoslovakia; Prague Spring 1968; reforms of socialism; Soviet- Czechoslovak contacts in the fields of culture and humanities.