This is the autobiography of Alexander Dubcek as well as an account of Czechoslovakia's journey towards freedom. Unanimously elected chairman of the federal assembly, following the collapse of the communist party in 1989/90, Dubcek was a dedicated communist who, in 1968, revolted against Soviet domination, was ousted from power by Brezhnev, spent 20 years in inner exile, and finally - as a political independent - became the second most powerful leader in his country. Dubcek has been both eyewitness and participant in momentous political events. He describes pressures that force men and women to bear witness against one another, the effects of occupation on Czechs and Slovaks alike, the incompetence and venality of the communist party, his attempts to give socialism a more human face, the secret preparations of the Soviet security forces for the 1968 invasion, his 19 years under constant surveillance and the downfall of the communist regime and the coming of the second Prague Spring.