Beáta Katrebová Blehová: Alexander Dubček and Italian Communists 1968–1989

Alexander Dubček, after being removed both from party and diplomatic positions in 1970, became a 'second class citizen' closely monitored by the State Security. During the whole normalisation period, there were contacts to the Italian Communist Party that welcomed reforms in Czechoslovakia in 1968. In August, the Party strictly disapproved with the military intervention of the Warsaw Pact armies and its disclaimer opinion on the interference of Moscow as a great power in the reform process has never been changed. Contacts to Italian Communists intensified after Mikhail Gorbachev was appointed to become the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when L´Unità, newspaper of the Italian Communist Party published the first extensive interview with Dubček in January 1988, breaking almost 20 years long 'silence' of this well-known politician. By awarding him the honorary title Doctor Honoris Causa from Bologna University, one of the oldest universities in Europe in November 1988, under cooperation of the university management and Italian communists, what caused an extraordinary response in all free world, Dubček's comeback to the political scene became reality. During the period of perestroika, leaders of Italian communists undoubtedly contributed in large extent to his rehabilitation through their insistent support of Dubček's reforms during numerous meetings with Gorbachev, and Dubček's travel to Italy in November 1988 was a symbol of coming changes also in regards to the normalisation regime in Czechoslovakia. Presented study aims to reconstruct the less known chapter of contacts between Dubček and Italian communists from 1968 to 1989, on the background of overall political development in Italy taking so-called Soviet factor in consideration. The whole situation related to awarding him Doctor Honoris by the University in Bologna is analyses into details as it represented a significant milestone in the final phase of Czechoslovak normalisation history, as well as of the Cold War in the second half of the 20th century.