Ten years have passed since those brief, happy months in the sunshine of the Prague spring. Alexander Dubcek and the new leadership tried to move toward greater personal freedom and create “socialism with a human face,” but these buoyant expectations of a better future for the fifteen million people of Czechoslovakia were shattered by the massive surprise attack launched by the Soviet Union in August, 1968. During the last forty years Czechoslovakia has been a victim and a symbol of the aggressive power of the twin totalitarian scourges of this century — fascism and communism. In 1938 the divided and fearful democracies tried to appease Hitler by going back on their commitments to defend little Czechoslovakia. That action cost them the support of a brave nation and its fifty well-armed divisions. It also set the stage for a devastating world war that began less than one year later.

Two years ago, with the death of General Franco, thirty-six years of dictatorship came to an end in Spain. The effective leadership of King Juan Carlos, the tactical skills of Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez, and the cooperation of most political and economic groups have since brought about peaceful transition to free elections and a functioning democratic government. Spaniards have had a sense of satisfaction with the dramatic political changes they have accomplished.