The Czechoslovak dissident movement emerged in the 1960s as a response to the oppressive regime of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Activists sought to promote human rights, freedom of speech, and political reform. Key figures included Václav Havel, a playwright and political leader, who became a prominent voice for change. The movement gained momentum after the 1968 Prague Spring, a brief period of political liberalization that was crushed by a Soviet invasion. Despite repression, dissidents continued to organize, leading to the formation of the Charter 77 in 1977, which called for the government to respect human rights as outlined in international agreements.