Hope Dies Last: The Autobiography of Alexander Dubcek

by Alexander Dubček, Jiri Hochman (Translator)

Book by Dubcek, Alexander

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Czechoslovakian politician Alexander Dubček as first secretary of the Communist party in 1968 introduced reforms and pursued an independent foreign policy; in August 1968, Soviet authorities sent tanks into Prague, arrested him, and forced him to resign.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexand...

Reviews

[Bryan Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not the first (and I'm sure I'm not the last) person to be hopelessly seduced by the incredible courage and persistence of A. Dubcek. This should be required reading for just about every college student. It's fast paced, accurate, and a splendid source of information on the Prague Spring, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and "normalization".

[Ross Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander Dubček was the man who tried to bring 'Socialism with a human face' to Czechoslovakia. His reforms led to the Prague Spring of 1968 when censorship was lifted, press freedom was guaranteed and moves towards small private businesses began.

The dream lasted until Aug 1968 when Soviet forces invaded the country and kidnapped Dubček to Moscow.

Thankfully, he was still alive to see the fall of Soviet style communism in 1989, joinin g Vacla Havel on a Prague balcony to the cheers of crowds below.

The book tells the story of a fascinating man who resisted both Nazis and Soviets. Someone who deserves to be better known and remembered worldwide than he currently is.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look into the mind of Alexander Dubček and his perception of events in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. He is interesting and compassionate as a writer, and his political genius is clear from his analysis of situations that he found himself in. The only major shortcoming of his autobiography is that it does not seem to give much clarification in regards to the development of his own political thought from the 1960s onward. It is clear from his account of the events that he was very much a pragmatist, and it might well be that he did not really think it important to label himself in one way or another when he assumed power and adopted an ad hoc approach to the issues that he faced. However, it would have been useful if he had clarified if he had come to a realization that a multiparty system like the one established in 1989 was inevitable during his time as a leader in 1968, or after he was thrown out of the government and the Party. He writes as if he had been a social democrat rather than a revolutionary socialist from the early 1960s, but does not really explain how that occurred, and a lot of his social democratic views seemed to come merely as a consequence of a later reflection on the events of the 1960s. I would have liked to know more about how he saw himself through this period.

[Cold War Conversations Podcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent insight into one of Eastern Europe's most influential leaders, particular his life after his fall from power.

[lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Výborná kniha, prekvapil ma veľmi silný Dubčekov humanizmus

[Marko Popovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important book if you are into Dubcek and attempts of democratising the Soviet-based socialist system in Czechoslovakia in the 60s

[Dusan Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smutný, ale pútavý životný príbeh o jednom človeku, ktorého sklamali vlastné ideály. Dubček sa neprofiluje ako hrdina. Bol srdcom socialista, veril v socializmus, ale rovnako veril v demokratické princípy a reformám. Jeho politický a spoločenský život bol ukončený v roku 1969 a znovu obnovený tesne pred Nežnou revolúciou, preto sa aj kniha venuje najmä obdobiu po nástupe komunistov k moci až k Pražskej jari. Dubčeka si netreba idealizovať. Bol reformátorom, ale podľa svojich slov sa podieľal aj na špinavej práce vtedajšieho straníckeho aparátu. Napriek tomu si jeho život našu pozornosť zaslúži. Celú knihu definuje jedna veta z Dubčekových pamätí: "Nechcem sa ospravedlňovať, môžem už iba dodatočne osvetliť situáciu."

[viky · Rating 5 out of 5]

i just skimmed it for my history ia, especially the chapters about the prague spring, but it was well-written, coherent, and surprisingly quite enjoyable

[Jolana Hrstková · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nejlepší citát: V roku 1968 sme narazili do tohto disnosaurieho systému v čase, keď eště fungoval. Sovietske politbyro držalo pokope obrovskú ríšu a dohliadadalo, aby nikde nevznikla opozícia.