title: Stalinism

text: Mao Zedong famously declared that Stalin was 70% good and 30% bad. Maoists criticized Stalin chiefly regarding his view that bourgeois influence within the Soviet Union was primarily a result of external forces, to the almost complete exclusion of internal forces, and his view that class contradictions ended after the basic construction of socialism. However, they praised Stalin for leading the Soviet Union and the international proletariat, defeating fascism in Germany and his anti-revisionism.


title: Stalinism

text: Taking the side of the Chinese Communist Party in the Sino-Soviet split, the People's Socialist Republic of Albania remained committed, at least theoretically, to its brand of Stalinism (Hoxhaism) for decades after that under the leadership of Enver Hoxha. Despite their initial cooperation against "revisionism", Hoxha denounced Mao as a revisionist, along with almost every other self-identified communist organization worldwide, resulting in the Sino-Albanian split.


title: Stalinism

text: Trotskyists argue that the Stalinist Soviet Union was neither socialist nor communist but rather a bureaucratized degenerated workers' state—that is, a non-capitalist state in which exploitation is controlled by a ruling caste which, although not owning the means of production and not constituting a social class in its own right, accrued benefits and privileges at the expense of the working class. Trotsky believed that the Bolshevik Revolution needed to be spread all over the globe's working class, the proletarians, for world revolution. However, after the failure of the revolution in Germany, Stalin reasoned that industrializing and consolidating Bolshevism in Russia would best serve the proletariat in the long run. The dispute did not end until Trotsky's assassination in his Mexican villa by Stalinist assassin Ramón Mercader in 1940.


title: Stalinism

text: Max Shachtman, one of the principal Trotskyist theorists in the United States, argued that the Soviet Union had evolved from a degenerated worker's state to a new mode of production called "bureaucratic collectivism", whereby orthodox Trotskyists considered the Soviet Union an ally gone astray. Shachtman and his followers thus argued for the formation of a Third Camp opposed to the Soviet and capitalist blocs equally. By the mid-20th century, Shachtman and many of his associates, such as Social Democrats, USA, identified as social democrats rather than Trotskyists, while some ultimately abandoned socialism altogether and embraced neoconservatism. In the United Kingdom, Tony Cliff independently developed a critique of state capitalism that resembled Shachtman's in some respects, but it retained a commitment to revolutionary communism.


title: Stalinism

text: Some historians and writers, such as German Dietrich Schwanitz, draw parallels between Stalinism and the economic policy of Tsar Peter the Great, although Schwanitz, in particular, views Stalin as "a monstrous reincarnation" of him. Both men wanted Russia to leave the western European states far behind in terms of development. Both largely succeeded, turning Russia into Europe's leading power. Others compare Stalin with Ivan the Terrible because of his policies of oprichnina and the restriction of the liberties of common people.


title: Stalinism

text: Some reviewers have considered Stalinism as a form of "red fascism". Although fascist regimes were ideologically opposed to the Soviet Union, some positively regarded Stalinism as evolving Bolshevism into a form of fascism. Benito Mussolini positively reviewed Stalinism as having transformed Soviet Bolshevism into a Slavic fascism.


title: Stalinism

text: British historian Michael Ellman had written that mass deaths from famines are not a "uniquely Stalinist evil", noting that throughout Russian history, famines and droughts have been a common occurrence, including the Russian famine of 1921–22 (which occurred before Stalin came to power). He also notes that famines were widespread worldwide in the 19th and 20th centuries in countries such as India, Ireland, Russia and China. Ellman compared the behaviour of the Stalinist regime vis-à-vis the Holodomor to that of the British government (towards Ireland and India) and the G8 in contemporary times, arguing that the G8 "are guilty of mass manslaughter or mass deaths from criminal negligence because of their not taking obvious measures to reduce mass deaths" and that the "behaviour [of Stalin] was no worse than that of many rulers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries".


title: Stalinism

text: David L. Hoffmann raised the issue of whether Stalinist practices of state violence derived from socialist ideology. Placing Stalinism in an international context, Hoffman argued that many forms of state interventionism used by the Stalinist government, including social cataloguing, surveillance and concentration camps, predated the Soviet regime and originated outside of Russia. Hoffman further argued that technologies of social intervention developed in conjunction with the work of 19th-century European reformers and were greatly expanded during World War I when state actors in all the combatant countries dramatically increased efforts to mobilize and control their populations. According to Hoffman, the Soviet state was born at this moment of total war and institutionalized practices state intervention practices as permanent governance features.


title: Stalinism

text: In writing "The Mortal Danger: Misconceptions about Soviet Russia and the Threat to America", anti-communist and Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn argued that the use of the term "Stalinism" is an excuse to hide the inevitable effects of communism as a whole on human liberties. He wrote that the concept of "Stalinism" was developed after 1956 by Western intellectuals to be able to keep alive the communist ideal. However, "Stalinism" was used as early as 1937 when Leon Trotsky wrote his pamphlet "Stalinism and Bolshevism".


title: Stalinism

text: Writing two "The Guardian" articles in 2002 and 2006, British journalist Seumas Milne said that the impact of the post-Cold War narrative that Stalin and Hitler were twin evils, therefore communism is as monstrous as Nazism, "has been to relativize the unique crimes of Nazism, bury those of colonialism and feed the idea that any attempt at radical social change will always lead to suffering, killing and failure."


title: Stalinism

text: In modern Russia, public opinion of Stalin and the former Soviet Union has improved in recent years. According to a 2015 Levada Center poll, 34% of respondents (up from 28% in 2007) say that leading the Soviet people to victory in World War II was such an outstanding achievement that it outweighed his mistakes. A 2019 Levada Center poll showed that support for Stalin, whom many Russians saw as the victor in the Great Patriotic War, reached a record high in the post-Soviet era, with 51% regarding Stalin as a positive figure and 70% saying his reign was good for the country.


title: Stalinism

text: Lev Gudkov, a sociologist at the Levada Center, said, "Vladimir Putin's Russia of 2012 needs symbols of authority and national strength, however controversial they may be, to validate the newly authoritarian political order. Stalin, a despotic leader responsible for mass bloodshed but also still identified with wartime victory and national unity, fits this need for symbols that reinforce the current political ideology."


title: Stalinism

text: Some positive sentiments can also be found elsewhere in the former Soviet Union. A 2012 survey commissioned by the Carnegie Endowment found 38% of Armenians concurring that their country "will always have need of a leader like Stalin". A 2013 survey by Tbilisi University found 45% of Georgians expressing "a positive attitude" toward Stalin.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Troy Aumua Polamalu (; born Troy Benjamin Aumua; April 19, 1981) is an American former football strong safety who played his entire 12-year career for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).


title: Troy Polamalu

text: He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) and earned first-team All-American honors. He was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He was a member of two Steelers' Super Bowl championship teams and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. Polamalu is an eight-time Pro Bowler and a six-time All-Pro selection. He was also the Head of Player Relations of the Alliance of American Football. Considered a "premier safety of his era" and known for his "range, explosiveness, and impact on the field," as well as playing a key role in the Steelers success during the 2000s. Polamalu was inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu was born in Garden Grove, California. His mother is Suila Polamalu. Polamalu is of American Samoan descent. He is the youngest of five children. His father left the family soon after Polamalu was born. Polamalu spent his early years in Santa Ana, California. At age eight, Polamalu vacationed in Tenmile, Oregon with his aunt and uncle for three weeks; afterwards, he begged his mother to let him live in Oregon. Concerned about the negative influences in nearby Los Angeles, Polamalu's mother sent him to Oregon to live with his uncle (Salu Polamalu), his aunt, and his cousins when he was nine years old. Polamalu has said that his uncle is "a disciplinarian and kept me straight".


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu graduated from Douglas High School in Winston, Oregon. While there, he played high school football. Following his junior season, Polamalu was named to the All-State first team and was the All-Far West League Offensive Most Valuable Player for Douglas High, which achieved a 9–1 record. He rushed for 1,040 yards with 22 touchdowns and had 310 receiving yards. On defense, he made 65 tackles and had eight interceptions. Despite playing in only four games during his senior season due to injury, he was named to the 1998 Super Prep All-Northwest team, "Tacoma News Tribune" Western 100, and the All-Far West League second team. As a two-way player, Polamalu rushed for 671 yards with nine touchdowns and had three interceptions.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu also played high school baseball and basketball, where he received all-state and all-league honors.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu received an athletic scholarship to attend USC, and played for the USC Trojans football team from 1999 to 2002. "I believe God named me Troy for a reason", he said (Troy was the ancient capital of the Trojans). "I was born to come here."


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu began his college career in 1999 as a true freshman, playing backup at safety and linebacker, while also contributing on special teams. While playing in eight games, he recorded 12 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. Against Louisiana Tech, he showed his effectiveness on special teams, blocking a punt. His freshman season was cut short when he suffered a concussion at practice. The injury sidelined him for four games.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: The 2000 season marked the beginning of Polamalu's career. He opened his season starting against Penn State, and recorded only two tackles but made an interception for a 43-yard touchdown. While playing against Colorado, he made five tackles and recovered a fumble that set up a Trojan touchdown. The next game, he again recorded five tackles and also sacked Oregon State's quarterback. During a game against Oregon, he ended the game with 13 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and one interception. Later on, against Stanford, he made 11 tackles in the game. He set a career-high with 14 tackles against Arizona State and tied that mark against Notre Dame. This marked his first year starting all 12 games at strong safety and he closed out 2000 with 83 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, one sack, two interceptions, and one touchdown.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In 2001, he had the best year of his college career. He started the season by being voted as the team captain, and in the season opener he recorded seven tackles and one tackle for a loss against San Jose State. Against Kansas State, he had a game-high 13 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and one forced fumble. Polamalu continued his dominance against Stanford, making a game-high 10 stops, one tackle for a loss, and his first blocked punt of the season. In the next game against Washington he had a game-high 13 tackles, two tackles for a loss, an interception that he returned for a 22-yard touchdown. Throughout the next four games, Polamalu continued to have the most tackles in each game. He had a streak of six games in a row and eight total in the season where he led both teams in tackles. Against Oregon State, he accumulated a game-high 11 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and a blocked punt that USC recovered. His streak ended against California, when he had four tackles, but made a game-deciding play with an interception that he returned for a 58-yard touchdown. The next week, the Trojans played their rival, UCLA. Polamalu had two tackles but made key plays when he blocked a punt and made an interception that set up key field goals for USC. He won his first PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Week. USC went on to the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah and Polamalu made a career-high 20 tackles, and three tackles for a loss. He finished his junior campaign with a team-high 118 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, one sack, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, three blocked punts, and two touchdowns. Polamalu won USC's MVP award and was voted a first-team All-American by Football Writers and College and Pro Football News Weekly. The Associated Press voted him second-team All-American.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: For his last season, Polamalu continued to uphold his big play reputation. After being voted team captain for the second consecutive year, he opened the 2002 season with seven tackles and one tackle for a loss in a victory over Auburn. The Trojans faced #18 Colorado in the second game and Polamalu had a team-high 11 tackles. His performance in the 40–3 blowout over Colorado won him Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week. In the fifth game of the season, he injured his ankle on the first defensive series against #17 Washington State. After sitting out a game, he returned against #22 Washington and recorded five tackles and returned an interception 33 yards. Polamalu then disrupted Stanford for the third year in a row, accumulating a season-high 13 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and one sack. He played his last college game in the Orange Bowl against #3 Iowa. A hamstring injury sidelined him for the majority of the game. Polamalu finished his senior season with 68 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, three sacks, one interception, and three forced fumbles. He was voted a first team All-American by the Associated Press, Football Writers, ESPN.com, and Walter Camp, making him the first Trojan to be a two-time first-team All-American since Tony Boselli in 1992.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu finished his college career with 278 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, six interceptions, four blocked punts, and three touchdowns.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In the last game of his college career in the Orange Bowl, Polamalu injured his knee in pre-game warm-ups and had very limited action in the game that day. The injury also caused Polamalu to miss the Senior Bowl and 2003 NFL Combine. On March 12, 2003, Polamalu participated at USC's pro day, along with Carson Palmer, Justin Fargas, Kareem Kelly, Sultan McCullough, Malaefou MacKenzie, and others. He performed the three-cone drill (6.75), short shuttle (4.37), and 40-yard dash (4.33) for NFL team representatives and scouts.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: The Pittsburgh Steelers initially had a verbal agreement with Dexter Jackson, who was the reigning Super Bowl MVP with the 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With an agreement in place with Jackson, the Steelers focused on drafting a running back in the first round. On March 12, 2003, Jackson signed with the Arizona Cardinals after they added $2 million to their offer and increased his salary by $2.3 million in the first three-years.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu was projected to be a late-first or early-second-round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the top strong safety prospect by BLESTO and National Scouting Combines. The Steelers selected Polamalu in the first round (16th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: The San Diego Chargers, who had the 15th overall pick, had a major need at safety to replace Rodney Harrison but passed on the opportunity to select Polamalu by trading down and getting Sammy Davis and Terrence Kiel. The Steelers quickly made a move to bring Polamalu to their team. The Steelers believed so much that Polamalu could have a positive impact on their defense that they traded up from the 27th spot to the 16th spot, originally held by the Chiefs. The Steelers traded away the 92nd and 200th overall picks for the rights to switch first-round picks. The Kansas City Chiefs went on to draft Larry Johnson, Julian Battle, and Brooks Bollinger (the Bollinger pick was subsequently traded to the Jets in the same draft) with the picks acquired from the trade. He has the distinction of being one of only two safeties ever drafted by the Steelers in the first round of an NFL Draft; the other being Terrell Edmunds in 2018.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On July 28, 2003, the Steelers signed Polamalu after a short hold out to a five-year, $12.10 million contract.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On July 29, 2003, Polamalu arrived at training camp after missing the start of it due to a hamstring injury and competed with veteran Mike Logan in training camp for the vacant starting strong safety job left by Lee Flowers.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu made his professional regular season debut in the Steelers' season-opening 34–15 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The following week, he made his first career tackle and finished with two solo tackles during a 20–41 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. On November 30, 2003, he made four combined tackles and had his first career sack on Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Jon Kitna, in a 20–24 loss. On December 23, 2003, Polamalu recorded a season-high six combined tackles in a 13–6 win against the Cleveland Browns. He finished his rookie season in with a total of 38 combined tackles (30 solo) and four passes defensed in 16 games and zero starts. Throughout the season, he was the backup strong safety and played primarily on special teams and in dime packages. Defensive coordinator Tim Lewis was fired after the 2003 season.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Head coach Bill Cowher named Polamalu the starting strong safety over Mike Logan to start the season and made his first career start in the Steelers' season-opener against the Oakland Raiders. He made seven combined tackles in their 24–21 victory. The following week, he made a season-high 11 combined tackles, as the Steelers lost 13–30 to the Baltimore Ravens. On September 26, 2004, Polamalu recorded six combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception off a pass from A. J. Feeley during a 13–3 victory over the Miami Dolphins. In Week 4, he made six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass attempt by Carson Palmer and returned it for a 26-yard touchdown during the Steelers' 28–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 10, against the Cleveland Browns, he earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In his first season under new defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, Polamalu finished with a career-high 96 combined tackles (67 solo), ten pass deflections, five interceptions, and one touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts. He was named to the 2005 Pro Bowl for the first time.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: The Steelers finished first atop the AFC North with a 15-1 record. On January 15, 2005, Polamalu started his first career playoff game and collected seven combined tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted New York Jets' quarterback Chad Pennington, during the Steelers' 20–17 victory in the AFC . The Steelers were eliminated the following week after losing 27–41 in the to the eventual Super Bowl XXXIX Champions, the New England Patriots.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: He returned as the starting strong safety in 2005 and started the Steelers' season-opener against the Tennessee Titans. Polamalu recorded three solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted Steve McNair during the 34–7 victory. On September 18, 2005, Polamalu had six solo tackles and sacked Houston Texans' quarterback David Carr three times during a 27–7 victory. He set the NFL record for the most sacks by a safety in a single game. On October 31, 2005, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles in a 20–19 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers received a playoff berth after finishing second in the AFC North with an 11–5 record. Polamalu finished the season with 91 combined tackles (73 solo), six pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts. The 2006 Pro Bowl was his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. In addition, he was named as a First Team All-Pro.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On January 8, 2006, Polamalu made six combined tackles and intercepted a pass in a 31–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC wild card game. On February 5, 2006, he started in his first career Super Bowl and collected five combined tackles in the Steelers' 21–10 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In the Steelers' season-opener against the Miami Dolphins, Polamalu collected a season-high ten combined tackles, defended two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt by Joey Harrington in the Steelers 28–17 victory. On October 15, 2006, he recorded a season-high nine solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and returned an interception for 49-yards during a 45–7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Chiefs. He missed Weeks 13–15 with a shoulder injury. Polamalu finished the season with 76 combined tackles (57 solo), seven pass deflections, and three interceptions in 13 games and 13 starts. He was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and started the 2007 Pro Bowl at strong safety.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On July 23, 2007, the Steelers signed Polamalu to a four-year contract extension worth $30.19 million with $15.37 million guaranteed. The contract made him the highest paid safety in the league, but was surpassed by Bob Sanders on December 28, 2007, when he was signed to a five-year, $37.5 million contract with $20 million in guarantees.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In an article on ESPN.com, Polamalu said, "I did not want to be a player who is jumping from team to team." Polamalu had repeatedly expressed his intent on staying with the Steelers.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: He remained the starting strong safety under new head coach Mike Tomlin. On September 23, 2007, Polamalu recorded an eight combined tackles and made a pass deflection, as the Steelers defeated the San Francisco 49ers 37–16. He was unable to play in a Week 5 contest against the Seattle Seahawks with an abdominal injury. During a Week 15 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had a season-high ten combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 22–29 loss. Polamalu had an injury plagued season and missed Weeks 12–14 with a sprained knee. He finished the 2007 season with 58 combined tackles (45 solo) and nine pass deflections in 12 games and 11 starts.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu was named a reserve to the 2008 Pro Bowl despite having no interceptions and only playing in 11 games during the 2007 season.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu suffered a hamstring injury during his off-season workout and missed the entire 2008 training camp. He started the Steelers' season-opener against the Houston Texans and recorded three solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass attempt by Matt Schaub during their 38–17 victory. The following week, he had his second consecutive interception and four solo tackles as the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns, 10–6. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Browns. During a Week 3 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, Polamalu made five solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass attempt by Donovan McNabb during a 15–6 loss. This marked his third consecutive game with an interception. On November 16, 2008, he collected three solo tackles, defended a pass, and intercepted a pass by San Diego Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers, in an 11–10 victory. A fumble he returned for a touchdown at the end of the game was taken off the board as the officials ruled that San Diego had made an illegal forward pass, although head referee Scott Green admitted after the game that the touchdown should have been counted. On December 7, 2008, Polamalu recorded a season-high nine combined tackles, deflected a pass, and had his seventh interception of the season off of a pass attempt by Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo during a 20–13 victory. This marked his fourth consecutive game with an interception. He finished the season with 73 combined tackles (54 solo), a career-high 17 pass deflections, and a career-high seven interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts. Polamalu was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl as the AFC's strong safety after being given a unanimous vote by five experts. He earned his second First-team All-Pro honor.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: The Steelers finished first atop the AFC North with a 12–4 record. On January 18, 2009, Polamalu made four combined tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted a pass by Joe Flacco and returned it for a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 23–14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the . He went on to start in Super Bowl XLIII and assisted in making two tackles in the Steelers' victory over the Arizona Cardinals, 27–23.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On April 24, 2009, it was reported that Polamalu would be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 2010, alongside Super Bowl XLIII opponent and Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In the Steelers 2009 season-opener against the Tennessee Titans, Polamalu recorded six tackles and made a one handed interception on a pass attempt by Kerry Collins before getting injured while trying to recover a blocked field goal. He sustained a sprained MCL injury to his left knee and missed the next four games (Weeks 2–5). Polamalu returned in Week 6 and recorded four combined tackles, defended a pass, and made an interception during a 27–14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. On November 15, 2009, he reinjured his left knee in the first quarter of a 12–18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed the remainder of the season and when asked on why he did return by John Harris of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Polamalu stated, "If I would have injured it again, the doctor was saying that it will be a career-ending injury, most likely. I had to face that." Polamalu finished the season with 20 combined tackles (18 solo), seven pass deflections, and three interceptions in only five games and five starts.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: The Steelers played Tyrone Carter in Polamalu's absence and its defense fell from first in points allowed (223) and passing yards allowed (2,511) in 2008 to 12th in points allowed (324) and 16th in passing yards (3,447). They finished with a 9–7 record and did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time under head coach Mike Tomlin. He was named to the Second Team Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2000s.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In a "Sports Illustrated" survey held in 2010 of 296 active NFL players, Polamalu was ranked the 9th "dirtiest player" in the NFL.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In the Steelers' season-opener against the Atlanta Falcons, Polamalu recorded five combined tackles, defended a pass, and made a game-saving interception off a pass attempt by Matt Ryan with 1:45 left in the game. He sent the game into overtime, where the Steelers won 15–9. During a Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, he recorded a season-high seven combined tackles, as the Steelers won 28–10. In Week 13, against the Baltimore Ravens, he earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 14, Polamalu collected two solo tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt by Carson Palmer that was intended for Terrell Owens and returned it for a 45-yard touchdown. Polamalu sustained an ankle injury during the play, but stayed in the game, made another interception, and helped the Steelers defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23–7. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Bengals. He was sidelined the next two games by the ankle injury. The Steelers finished first in the AFC North with a 12–4 record and ascended back to first in the NFL for points allowed (232), but remained at 12th in passing yards (3,425). Polamalu finished the season with 63 combined tackles (42 solo), 11 pass deflections, seven interceptions, one sack, and one touchdown in 14 games and 14 starts. He received a bid to the 2011 Pro Bowl, marking the sixth of his career. He earned First Team All-Pro honors for the third time.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: After defeating the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, the Steelers went on to Super Bowl XLV to face the Green Bay Packers. He recorded three solo tackles in his third career Super Bowl appearance, but the Steelers were defeated by the Packers 25–31. He was ranked sixth by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On January 31, 2011, Polamalu was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year after receiving 17 votes, beating out for the award fellow USC Trojan and Packers' linebacker Clay Matthews, who received 15 votes. He also won the NFL Alumni Player of the Year award. He won the award over Defensive Back of the Year by Aqib Talib of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On September 10, 2011, the Steelers signed Polamalu to a four-year, $36.4 million contract extension that included $10.55 million guaranteed.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On October 2, 2011, Polamalu recorded a season-high nine combined tackles during a 10–17 loss to the Houston Texans. During a Week 14 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, he collected eight combined tackles, defended two passes, and made his only interception of the season in a 14–3 win. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns. He finished the season with 91 combined tackles (64 solo), 14 pass deflections, and one interception in 16 games and 16 starts. The Steelers received a playoff berth after finishing second in their division with a 12–4 record. On January 8, 2012, the Steelers faced the Denver Broncos in the AFC and Polamalu made four combined tackles in their 23–29 overtime loss. The Steelers lost on the first play of overtime after Tim Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: He was named as a First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl. He was ranked #19th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu suffered a strain calf in a practice prior to the Steelers' season-opener against the Denver Broncos. He started the game and made five solo tackles in their 19–31 loss. He further aggravated the injury during the game and left after further straining his calf muscle. On October 7, 2012, Polamalu returned and recorded two solo tackles in a 16–14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. He limped off the field in the second quarter and was unable to return. Polamalu missed the next six games (Weeks 6–12), but remained on the active roster. There were conflicting reports about whether it was a calf strain or a calf tear, but multiple media members cited it as a severe strain. On December 23, 2012, Polamalu made a season-high eight combined tackles, defended a pass, and had his only sack of the season on Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton, as the Steelers lost 10–13. The following week, he recorded three combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made the only interception of the season in a 24–10 win against the Cleveland Browns. Polamalu finished the season with a total of 34 combined tackles (29 solo), three pass deflections, one sack, and one interception in seven games and seven starts. He was ranked 91st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: One of the Steelers' top needs entering the draft was safety as Polamalu was entering the end of his career and had an injury-riddled season in 2012. The Steelers selected Shamarko Thomas in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft to possibly be Polamalu's successor.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu started the Steelers' season-opener against the Tennessee Titans and recorded six combined tackles and a sack in their 9–16 loss. The next week, Polamalu collected a season-high nine combined tackles and defended a pass in a 10–20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 7, he recorded three solo tackles, defended two passes, a sack, and intercepted a pass attempt by Terrelle Pryor in an 18–21 loss to the Oakland Raiders. In Week 12, Polamalu earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Cleveland Browns. In Week 14, Polamalu made one tackle and returned an interception off of Ryan Tannehill for a 19-yard touchdown during the Steelers' 28–34 loss. He finished the season with 69 combined tackles (50 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts. He was named to his final Pro Bowl. He was ranked 61st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On March 5, 2014, the Steelers signed Polamalu to a three-year, $20 million contract extension. They also restructured his contract so he would only account for $6.3 million against the salary cap in instead of the original $10.7 million cap number.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu started the Steelers' season-opener against the Cleveland Browns and made a season-high 11 combined tackles in their 30–27 victory. He missed Weeks 10–11 after suffering a knee sprain. The Steelers made the playoffs and faced off against the Baltimore Ravens in the . In the 30–17 loss, he had eight combined tackles and one quarterback hit in his final career game.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On April 10, 2015, Polamalu announced his retirement from professional football citing his family as the main reason. It was reported that he was fully planning to play in , but the Steelers had forced Polamalu into retirement. In February 2015, Polamalu was approached and told by front office members and owner Dan Rooney that if he did not retire, he would be released. He received an offer from the Tennessee Titans to join his former longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, but ultimately decided on retiring after weighing his options. He finished his 12-year career with 770 tackles, 32 interceptions, and three touchdowns.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: On January 2, 2020, Polamalu was named one of 15 modern-era finalists for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He and former Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne were the only two finalists for 2020 to be nominated in their first year of eligibility. On February 1, 2020, Troy Polamalu was officially elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu's surname at birth was Aumua. He petitioned in 2007 to change his legal surname to his mother's maiden name of Polamalu. He had already been using Polamalu for the previous 15 years.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu's favorite pastimes include surfing, growing flowers, making furniture, and playing the piano.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In 2009, Polamalu said that he tried to separate himself from his profession as much as possible and did not watch football games at home. As of 2009, he resided with his family in Pittsburgh during the football season and in San Diego, California during the off-season.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: During the 2011 NFL lockout, Polamalu utilized his time away from the field to return to the University of Southern California to complete his college education. On May 13, 2011, he graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in history. On his personal website he explained, "I decided to finish what I started and walked that stage today not only because it was very important to me personally, but because I want to emphasize the importance of education, and that nothing should supersede it." Teammate Ben Roethlisberger followed in Polamalu's footsteps the following off-season and finished his degree as well.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu's uncle, Kennedy Polamalu, is currently the Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach. He was the Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach for five years, and also served as offensive coordinator for UCLA. Another uncle, Aoatoa Polamalu, played nose tackle at Penn State from 1984 to 1988. Cousin Joe Polamalu played linebacker for Oregon State University, cousin Maika Polamalu played fullback for the United States Naval Academy, cousin Leie Sualua played at the University of Oregon, and cousin Nicky Sualua played for Ohio State, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Cincinnati Bengals.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Despite Polamalu's hard-hitting style on the gridiron, he became known off the field as a soft-spoken family man. Polamalu is married to Theodora Holmes and has two sons: Paisios, born on October 31, 2008, and Ephraim, born September 16, 2010. Theodora is the sister of NFL player and USC Trojans alumnus Alex Holmes. Polamalu and his wife, Theodora, founded the Harry Panos Fund to honor Theodora's grandfather, who served in World War II.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu is well read in the history and theology of early Christianity, which ultimately led both him and his wife to convert to Orthodox Christianity in 2007. He made the Sign of the Cross after every play. Among his spiritual activities was a 2007 pilgrimage to Orthodox Christian sites in Greece and Turkey. He seldom gives interviews, but when he does, he often speaks of the role his spirituality plays in his life. During his NFL career, he prayed after each play and prayed on the sidelines. His sons are both named after Orthodox Christian saints: Saint Paisios the Great of Egypt and Saint Ephraim the Syrian.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu's hair is one of his most distinguishing characteristics, allowing him to be easily spotted on the field. In the "CBS Playoffs Pre-game Show", Polamalu said the last time he had gotten a haircut was in 2000 at USC when a coach told him he needed one. On November 9, 2010, while appearing on "Mike and Mike in the Morning", Polamalu said he had his most recent haircut seven or eight years prior.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In an October 15, 2006, game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs' running back Larry Johnson pulled Polamalu down by the hair in order to tackle him. Although tackling a player by his hair is legal and does not alone constitute unnecessary roughness, Johnson was penalized for rising to his feet while retaining grasp of Polamalu's hair (pulling him up in the process).


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu has a contract with Head & Shoulders shampoo and has starred in five commercials for the product. On April 1, 2013, it was reported that he had decided not to sign a new contract to endorse Head & Shoulders and instead signed a five-year contract with Suave to endorse their "Action Series". In August 2010, P&G paid for a million-dollar insurance policy from Lloyd's of London for Polamalu's hair, claiming the Guinness World Record for the "highest insured hair".


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu is an investor in Arenda Capital, which is called a multi-family office that pulls together the funds of four families and manages their spending and investments. Any large purchases or investments must be approved by all members of the office. Arenda Capital makes investments into real estate properties and shares the earnings among all of the partners within the office. Polamalu joined Arenda Capital in 2010.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu is active in the Pittsburgh community, visiting sick kids at the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital, and is the most highly requested Steeler from the Make-A-Wish foundation. Polamalu and his wife Theodora have their own charitable foundation called the Troy & Theodora Polamalu Foundation, which provides humanitarian efforts to American Samoa and the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: In 2005, Pittsburgh-area band Mr. Devious wrote and recorded the novelty song "Puhlahmahlu", a parody of the song "Mah Nà Mah Nà". Guitarist Glenn Shirey said that the song was inspired by Fox Sports announcer Dick Stockton's mispronunciation of Polamalu's name.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: Polamalu is featured on the cover of the Scholastic children's book "National Football League Megastars" which profiles Polamalu and 14 other NFL stars.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: During Super Bowl XLIII, a commercial of Polamalu aired that had him do a remake of the famous "Mean Joe" Greene Coca-Cola commercial, except it was advertising for Coca-Cola Zero instead. Two Coke "brand managers" take the Coke Zero bottle away right when the kid is to give it to Polamalu, with Polamalu subsequently tackling one of the managers. Then, instead of giving the kid his own jersey, he rips the shirt off the brand manager he has tackled and tosses it to the kid. Greene, who like Polamalu lives a very quiet life off the field in contrast to his on-field play, liked the commercial and gave his stamp of approval.


title: Troy Polamalu

text: He was on the cover of "Madden NFL 10" with Larry Fitzgerald and is supposedly a sufferer of the "Madden Curse".


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a 2014 American computer-animated action fantasy film loosely based on the book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is the sequel to the 2010 film "How to Train Your Dragon" and the second installment in the trilogy. The film was written and directed by Dean DeBlois, and stars the returning voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig, along with Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou, and Kit Harington joining the cast. The film takes place five years after the first film, featuring Hiccup and his friends as young adults as they encounter Valka, Hiccup's long-lost mother, and Drago Bludvist, a madman who wants to conquer the world.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Plans for the sequel to "How to Train Your Dragon" was announced in April 2010, following the success of the first film. DeBlois, who co-directed the first film, agreed to return to direct the second film on the condition that he would be allowed to turn it into a trilogy. He cited "The Empire Strikes Back" and "My Neighbor Totoro" as his main inspirations, with the expanded scope of "The Empire Strikes Back" being particularly influential. At Skywalker Ranch during the final sound mix of the first film, it was later revealed that DeBlois had started drafting the outline for a sequel in February 2010. The entire voice cast from the first film returned, and Blanchett and Hounsou signed on to voice Valka and Drago, respectively. DeBlois and his creative team visited Norway and Svalbard to give them ideas for the setting. Composer John Powell returned to score the film. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" benefited from advances in animation technology and was DreamWorks' first film to use scalable multicore processing and the studio's new animation and lighting software.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: "How to Train Your Dragon 2" premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2014, and was released in the United States on June 13. The film received positive reviews for its animation, voice acting, musical score, action sequences, emotional depth, and darker, more serious tone compared to its predecessor. It grossed over $621 million worldwide, making it the 12th-highest-grossing film of 2014. It earned less than its predecessor at the US box office, but performed better internationally. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and six Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The final installment in the trilogy, "", was released on February 22, 2019.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Five years after the Viking villagers of Berk and the dragons made peace, they live together in harmony. Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless the Night Fury, discover and map unexplored lands. Now 20 years old, he is being pressed by his father, Stoick the Vast, to succeed him as chieftain, although Hiccup feels unsure he is ready.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: While investigating a burnt forest, Hiccup and Astrid discover the remains of a fort encased in ice and meet a group of dragon-trappers. Their leader Eret attempts to capture their dragons for their employer, Drago Bludvist, who plots to capture and enslave all dragons into becoming his soldiers. Hiccup and Astrid escape and warn Stoick about Drago. Stoick fortifies Berk to prepare for battle. Hiccup, however, refuses to believe war is inevitable, and flies off to talk to Drago. Stoick tries to stop him, explaining that he once met Drago at a gathering of chieftains, where Drago had offered them protection from dragons if they pledged to serve him; when they laughed it off as a joke, he had his dragons attack them, with Stoick the sole survivor.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Undeterred, Hiccup flies off with Toothless in search of Drago to try to reason with him. They instead meet a mysterious dragon-rider, who is revealed to be Hiccup's long-lost mother Valka. She explains that she, like her son, could not bring herself to kill dragons. After being carried off during a dragon raid, she spent 20 years rescuing dragons from Drago and bringing them to an island nest created out of ice by a gigantic, ice-spewing alpha dragon called a "Bewilderbeast", which is able to control smaller dragons by emitting hypnotic sound waves. Stoick and his lieutenant Gobber track Hiccup to the nest, where Stoick discovers his wife is alive. Meanwhile, Astrid and the other riders force Eret to lead them to Drago, who captures them and their dragons and, learning of Berk's dragons, sends his armada to attack the dragon nest. He also attempts to have Eret executed, but Astrid's dragon, Stormfly, saves him. A grateful Eret later helps her and the others escape.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: At the nest, a battle ensues between the dragon-riders, Valka's dragons, and Drago's armada, during which Drago reveals he has his own Bewilderbeast to challenge the alpha. The two colossal dragons fight, ending with Drago's Bewilderbeast killing its rival and becoming the new alpha. Drago's Bewilderbeast seizes control of all the adult dragons. Hiccup tries to persuade Drago to end the violence, but Drago orders his Bewilderbeast to have Toothless kill him. The hypnotized Toothless fires a plasma bolt towards Hiccup, but Stoick pushes him out of the way and is killed instead. The Bewilderbeast momentarily relinquishes control of Toothless, but Hiccup drives Toothless away in a fit of despair over his father's death. Drago maroons Hiccup and the others on the island and rides Toothless, again under the control of the Bewilderbeast, to lead his army to conquer Berk. Stoick is given a Viking funeral and Hiccup, now having lost both his father and dragon, is unsure what to do. Valka encouragingly tells him he alone can unite humans and dragons. Inspired by her words and his father's, Hiccup and his allies return to Berk to stop Drago by riding the baby dragons, which are immune to the Bewilderbeast's control.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Back at Berk, they find that Drago has attacked the village and taken control of its dragons. With a heartfelt apology, Hiccup frees Toothless from the Bewilderbeast's control, much to Drago's surprise. Hiccup and Toothless confront Drago, but the Bewilderbeast encases them in ice. However, Toothless blasts away the ice and enters a glowing super-powered state, where he is immune to the Bewilderbeast's control, enraged that the Bewilderbeast tried to hurt Hiccup. Toothless then challenges the Bewilderbeast to protect his rider, shooting it in the face repeatedly, which breaks its control over the other dragons, who side with Toothless as the new alpha. All the dragons repeatedly fire at the Bewilderbeast until Toothless fires a final massive blast, breaking its left tusk. Defeated, the Bewilderbeast retreats with Drago on his back.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: The Vikings and dragons celebrate their victory and Hiccup is made chieftain of Berk, while all the dragons from both Berk and Valka's sanctuary bow before Toothless as their new king. Afterwards, Berk undergoes repairs, with Hiccup feeling certain that its dragons can defend it.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: After the success of the first film, the sequel was announced on April 27, 2010. ""How to Train Your Dragon" … has become DreamWorks Animation's next franchise. We plan to release the sequel theatrically in 2013," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation's CEO. It was later revealed that DeBlois had started drafting the outline for a sequel in February 2010 at Skywalker Ranch, during the final sound mix of the first film. The film was originally scheduled for release on June 20, 2014, but in August 2013 the release date was moved forward one week to June 13, 2014.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: The film was written, directed, and executive produced by Dean DeBlois, the co-writer/co-director of the first film. Bonnie Arnold, the producer of the first film, also returned, while Chris Sanders, who co-directed and co-wrote the first film, acted only as an additional executive producer this time due to his involvement with "The Croods". When offered the sequel, DeBlois accepted it on condition he could turn it into a trilogy. For the sequel, he intended to revisit the films of his youth, with "The Empire Strikes Back" and "My Neighbor Totoro" having the pivotal inspirations for the film. "What I loved especially about "Empire" is that it expanded "Star Wars" in every direction: emotionally, its scope, characters, fun. It felt like an embellishment and that's the goal."


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: The entire original voice cast—Baruchel, Butler, Ferguson, Ferrera, Hill, Mintz-Plasse, Miller, and Wiig—returned for the sequel. On June 19, 2012, it was announced that Kit Harington, of "Game of Thrones" fame, was cast as one of the film's antagonists. At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, it was announced that Cate Blanchett and Djimon Hounsou had joined the cast; they lent their voices to Valka and Drago Bludvist, respectively.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: While the first film was set in a generic North Sea environment, the creative team decided to focus on Norway this time around. Early in the sequel's development, about a dozen of them traveled there for a week-long research trip, where they toured Oslo, Bergen, and the fjords. DeBlois, together with Gregg Taylor (DreamWorks' head of feature development) and Roger Deakins (a cinematographer who served as visual consultant), then broke off from the group to visit Svalbard and see polar bears in the wild with the assistance of armed guides.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: DeBlois explained that he had learned from directing "Lilo & Stitch" (2002) that "if you set an animated film in a place you want to visit, there's a chance you might get to go there." He had wanted to visit Svalbard for some time, after learning of its stark beauty from a couple of backpackers he met during earlier visits to Iceland to work with post-rock band Sigur Rós on the 2007 documentary film "Heima".


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Over the five years before the film's release, DreamWorks Animation had substantially overhauled its production workflow and animation software. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" was the first DreamWorks Animation film that used "scalable multicore processing", developed together with Hewlett-Packard. Called by Katzenberg as "the next revolution in filmmaking", it enabled artists for the first time to work on rich, complex images in real time, instead of waiting eight hours to see the results the next day. The film was also the studio's first film to use its new animation and lighting software through the entire production. Programs named Premo and Torch allowed much more subtlety, improving facial animation and enabling "the sense of fat, jiggle, loose skin, the sensation of skin moving over muscle instead of masses moving together."


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: By the time production was complete, over 500 people had worked on the film at DreamWorks Animation's headquarters in Glendale, as well as its branch offices at PDI/DreamWorks in Redwood City and DreamWorks India in Bangalore.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: The film was screened out of competition on May 16, 2014 at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. In the United States, the film premiered on June 8, 2014, at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, and was theatrically released on June 13, 2014. The film was also digitally remastered into IMAX 3D and released to international theaters on June 13, 2014.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: "How to Train Your Dragon 2" was released digitally on October 21, 2014, and was subsequently released on DVD, 3D Blu-ray and Blu-ray on November 11. The Blu-ray and digital releases are accompanied by a new animated short film entitled "Dawn of the Dragon Racers" (2014), in which Hiccup and friends compete to become the first Dragon Racing Champion of Berk.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: A double DVD pack with the film and "Dawn of the Dragon Racers" was released exclusively at Walmart stores. , 7.5 million home entertainment units have been sold worldwide.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: On January 22, 2019, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version of "How to Train Your Dragon 2" alongside its predecessor, making them the first catalog DreamWorks Animation films to be released on that format.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 92% based on reviews from 189 critics, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Exciting, emotionally resonant, and beautifully animated, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" builds on its predecessor's successes just the way a sequel should." Metacritic gives the film a score of 77 out of 100 based on reviews from 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore during the opening weekend gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Audiences were a mix of 47% female and 53% male. Children and Young Adults responded most strongly, with those aged under 25 giving a grade A+.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Peter Debruge of "Variety" praised the film and its ambitions: "The pressures to make a giant four-quadrant monstrosity must be enormous, and yet, like his unflappable hero Hiccup, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" writer-director Dean DeBlois has prevailed, serving up DreamWorks Animation's strongest sequel yet—one that breathes fresh fire into the franchise, instead of merely rehashing the original. Braver than "Brave", more fun than "Frozen", and more emotionally satisfying than so many of its live-action counterparts, "Dragon" delivers. And good thing, too, since DWA desperately needs another toon to cross the half-billion-dollar threshold." Elizabeth Weitzman of the "New York Daily News" gave the film three out of five stars, saying "It's the unflinching edge that gives the film its unexpected depth." Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press gave the film three out of four stars, saying ""How to Train Your Dragon 2" doesn't play it safe, and that's why it's the rare sequel that doesn't feel somewhat stale." Lou Lumenick of the "New York Post" gave the film three out of four stars, saying ""Dragon 2" really soars when our hero is aloft, imparting some important lessons about family, ecology and war for young audiences. It should also do very healthy business for hit-starved DreamWorks Animation." Joe McGovern of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a B, saying "The flight path needs straightening, but this is still a franchise that knows how to fly." Jody Mitori of the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "For audiences who want a sweet story, they can't beat the first film of a boy finding his best friend. For those who are ready for the next stage, try this one about a boy becoming a man."


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Bill Goodykoontz of "The Arizona Republic" gave the film four out of five stars, saying "It seemed as if there was nowhere new to go after the first film, but this is a richer story that dares to go darker and is thus more rewarding." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying ""Dragon 2", like "The Empire Strikes Back", takes sequels to a new level of imagination and innovation. It truly is a high-flying, depth-charging wonder to behold." Peter Hartlaub of the "San Francisco Chronicle" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "DeBlois, who also wrote the script, successfully juggles the multiple story lines, shifting allegiances and uncharted lands." Rafer Guzman of "Newsday" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Gruesome? A little. Scary? You bet. But that's exactly what makes the "Dragon" films so different, and so much better, than the average children's fare." Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "For once, we have an animated sequel free of the committee-job vibe so common at every animation house, no matter the track record." Stephen Holden of "The New York Times" gave the film a negative review, saying "The story seems to be going somewhere until it comes to a halt with the inevitable showdown between the forces of darkness and the forces of light." Peter Howell of the "Toronto Star" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Taking its cues as much from "Star Wars" and "Game of Thrones" as from its own storybook narrative, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" breathes fire into a franchise sequel."


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Claudia Puig of "USA Today" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Nearly as exuberant as the original, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" nimbly avoids sequel-itis." Colin Covert of the "Star Tribune" gave the film four out of four stars, saying "The impressive part is the storytelling confidence of writer/director Dean DeBlois. He has created a thoughtful tale as meaningful for grown-ups as it is pleasurable for its young primary audience." Stephanie Merry of "The Washington Post" gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "This may be the first and last time anyone says this, but if "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is this good, why stop at 3 and 4?" Moira MacDonald of "The Seattle Times" gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "Young and old fans of the first movie will be lining up for the wit, for the inventiveness of the characters, for the breathtaking visuals — and just the sheer fun of it all." Tirdad Derakhshani of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "One of this year's true surprises, the superior animated sequel not only is infused with the same independent spirit and off-kilter aesthetic that enriched the original, it also deepens the first film's major themes." Stephen Whitty of the "Newark Star-Ledger" gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "This was not a sequel that anybody needed, outside of the accountants. And there's another already planned." John Semley of "The Globe and Mail" gave the film four out of four stars, saying "More than just teaching kids what to think about the world they're coming into, it's a rare film that encourages them to think for themselves."


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Rene Rodriguez of the "Miami Herald" gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying ""How to Train Your Dragon 2" is its own standalone picture, with a surprising range of emotions that surpasses the original and a brisk pace and manner of storytelling that give it purpose and direction. The fact that it's also so much fun, no matter what your age, almost feels like a bonus." Bill Zwecker of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film four out of four stars, saying "Not only does this second movie match the charm, wit, animation skill and intelligent storytelling of the original, I think it even exceeds it." Lisa Kennedy of "The Denver Post" gave the film a positive review, saying ""How to Train Your Dragon 2" is soaring, emotionally swooping, utterly satisfying fun." Bob Mondello of NPR gave the film an 8.5 out of 10, saying "It's clear that [director Dean DeBlois] took inspiration from the first "Star Wars" trilogy—not a bad model for breathing new life, and yes, a bit of fire, into one of Hollywood's more nuanced animated franchises." Inkoo Kang of "The Wrap" gave the film a mixed review, saying "If there isn't enough to feel, at least there's a lot to look at. Thanks to the superb 3-D direction by DeBlois, we swoop through the air, whoosh down dragons' tails, and "juuust baaaarely" ["sic"] squeeze into small crevices, but still, those experiences are only like being on a really great rollercoaster—they don't mean anything." A.A. Dowd of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a B−, saying "There aren't just more dragons, but more characters, more plot, more everything. The trade-off is that the charm of the original gets a little lost, a casualty of rapid-franchise expansion."


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: "How to Train Your Dragon 2" grossed $177 million in North America, and $441.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $618.9 million. The film is the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2014, behind "Big Hero 6", and the twelfth-highest-grossing film of the year in any genre. While "How to Train Your Dragon 2" only earned $177 million at the US box office, compared to $217 million for its predecessor, it performed much better at the international box office, earning $438 million to "How to Train Your Dragon"'s $277 million. Calculating in all expenses, "Deadline Hollywood" estimated that the film made a profit of $107.3 million.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: In the United States and Canada, the film earned $18.5 million on its opening day, and opened at number two in its first weekend, with $49,451,322. In its second weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing an additional $24,719,312. In its third weekend, the film stayed at number three, grossing $13,237,697. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $8,961,088.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Its $25.9 million opening weekend in China was the biggest-ever for an animated film in the country, surpassing the record previously held by "Kung Fu Panda 2".


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Composer John Powell, who earned his first Academy Award nomination for , returned to score the sequel. Powell described the project "a maturation story" and stated that he too tried to achieve the same maturation in the structure of his music by developing further every aspect of his compositions from the original film. Recording took place during April 2014 at Abbey Road Studios in London with a 120-piece orchestra, a 100-voice choir, and a wide array of ethnic instruments, including celtic harp, uilleann bagpipes, tin whistle, bodhrán, and Highland bagpipes; the latter of which were performed by pipers from the Scottish group The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. The ensemble was conducted by the composer's usual collaborator Gavin Greenaway.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Sigur Rós' lead vocalist, Jónsi, who wrote and performed the song "Sticks & Stones" , provided two new original songs for the sequel in collaboration with Powell: "For the Dancing and the Dreaming" (performed by Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson & Mary Jane Wells) and "Where No One Goes" (performed by Jónsi himself). Belarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak, who voices Hiccup in the Norwegian dub of the film, also wrote and performed the song "Into a Fantasy", which is only featured in the European versions of the film.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: The soundtrack album for the film was released on June 13, 2014, by Relativity Music Group. The album features over an hour of score by Powell; additional music by Anthony Willis and Paul Mounsey, as well as the two original songs written by Powell and Jónsi. Rybak's song "Into a Fantasy" was released separately as a single. A deluxe edition, consisting of previously unreleased music, was released by Varèse Sarabande on May 2022.


title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: The third and final film in the trilogy, "", was originally scheduled for release on June 17, 2016, but in September 2014, DreamWorks Animation moved the release date to June 9, 2017. In January 2015, in the wake of the closure of Pacific Data Images and massive lay-offs, the release date was pushed back to June 29, 2018, then brought forward to May 18, 2018. On December 5, 2016, the release date was pushed back again to March 1, 2019, then on September 27, 2018, moved forward to February 22, 2019. Dean DeBlois, the co-screenwriter/co-director of the first and writer-director of the second film, along with producer Bonnie Arnold and all of the main cast (except for T.J. Miller as Tuffnut) returned, along with composer John Powell, who scored the first two films. Cate Blanchett and Kit Harington reprised their roles as Valka and Eret, respectively, from the second film. F. Murray Abraham joined the cast as Grimmel.


title: Eduardo Franco (actor)

text: Eduardo Franco is an American comedic actor. He is best known for his roles as Argyle in Netflix's popular sci-fi drama "Stranger Things", Theo in the coming of age feature film "Booksmart", and Spencer Diaz in the mockumentary series "American Vandal". He is also in the musical duo "Dumb Bitches w/ Internet" with Noetic Nixon.


title: Eduardo Franco (actor)

text: Franco was born in the city of Yuma in southwestern Arizona to Mexican parents. He has described his upbringing as working class.


title: Eduardo Franco (actor)

text: Franco first started acting in a number of television comedies. He played the role of Gavis in the Adam Ruins Everything episode Adam Ruins Dating which aired August 1, 2017. His first major credit was as Spencer Diaz in the first season of the 2017 Netflix comedy "American Vandal". In 2019, he had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed comedy film "Booksmart". He also appeared in several nationwide commercials, including spots for GEICO, Samsung, and TurboTax. In 2020, Franco starred in a lead role as Andrew in the Hulu movie "The Binge".


title: Eduardo Franco (actor)

text: In 2022, Franco gained notability for playing Argyle, a stoner friend of Jonathan Byers, in the fourth season of "Stranger Things". Franco initially auditioned for the role of Eddie Munson.


title: Prague Spring

text: the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), and continued until 21 August 1968, when the Soviet Union and most of Warsaw Pact members invaded the country to suppress the reforms.


title: Prague Spring

text: The Prague Spring reforms were a strong attempt by Dubček to grant additional rights to the citizens of Czechoslovakia in an act of partial decentralization of the economy and democratization. The freedoms granted included a loosening of restrictions on the media, speech and travel. After national discussion of dividing the country into a federation of three republics, Bohemia, Moravia-Silesia and Slovakia, Dubček oversaw the decision to split into two, the Czech Socialist Republic and Slovak Socialist Republic. This dual federation was the only formal change that survived the invasion.


title: Prague Spring

text: The reforms, especially the decentralization of administrative authority, were not received well by the Soviets, who, after failed negotiations, sent half a million Warsaw Pact troops and tanks to occupy the country. "The New York Times" cited reports of 650,000 men equipped with the most modern and sophisticated weapons in the Soviet military catalogue. A massive wave of emigration swept the nation. Resistance was mounted throughout the country, involving attempted fraternization, sabotage of street signs, defiance of curfews, etc. While the Soviet military had predicted that it would take four days to subdue the country, the resistance held out for eight months until diplomatic maneuvers finally circumvented it. It became a high-profile example of civilian-based defense; there were sporadic acts of violence and several protest suicides by self-immolation (the most famous being that of Jan Palach), but no military resistance. Czechoslovakia remained controlled by the Soviet Union until 1989, when the Velvet Revolution peacefully ended the communist regime; the last Soviet troops left the country in 1991.


title: Prague Spring

text: After the invasion, Czechoslovakia entered a period known as "normalization" (, ), in which new leaders attempted to restore the political and economic values that had prevailed before Dubček gained control of the KSČ. Gustáv Husák, who replaced Dubček as First Secretary and also became President, reversed almost all of the reforms. The Prague Spring inspired music and literature including the work of Václav Havel, Karel Husa, Karel Kryl and Milan Kundera's novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being".


title: Prague Spring

text: The process of de-Stalinization in Czechoslovakia had begun under Antonín Novotný in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but had progressed more slowly than in most other states of the Eastern Bloc. Following the lead of Nikita Khrushchev, Novotný proclaimed the "completion of socialism", and the new constitution accordingly adopted the name "Czechoslovak Socialist Republic". The pace of change, however, was sluggish; the rehabilitation of Stalinist-era victims, such as those convicted in the Slánský trials, may have been considered as early as 1963, but did not take place until 1967.


title: Prague Spring

text: , Czechoslovakia underwent an economic downturn. The Soviet model of industrialization applied poorly to Czechoslovakia since the country was already quite industrialized before World War II and the Soviet model mainly took into account less developed economies. Novotný's attempt at restructuring the economy, the 1965 "New Economic Model", spurred increased demand for political reform as well.


title: Prague Spring

text: In May 1963, some Marxist intellectuals organized the "Liblice Conference" that discussed Franz Kafka's life, marking the beginning of the cultural democratization of Czechoslovakia which ultimately led to the 1968 "Prague Spring," an era of political liberalization. This conference was unique because it symbolized Kafka's rehabilitation in the Eastern Bloc after having been heavily criticized, led to a partial opening up of the regime and influenced the relaxation of censorship. It also had an international impact as a representative from all Eastern Bloc countries were invited to the Conference; only the Soviet Union did not send any representative. This conference had a revolutionary effect and paved the way for the reforms while making Kafka the symbol of the renaissance of Czechoslovakian artistic and intellectual freedom.


title: Prague Spring

text: As the strict regime eased its rules, the "Union of Czechoslovak Writers" (Cs: "Svaz československých spisovatelů") cautiously began to air discontent. In "Literární noviny," the union's previously hard-line communist weekly, members suggested that literature should be independent of Party doctrine.


title: Prague Spring

text: In June 1967, a small fraction of the union sympathized with radical socialists, especially Ludvík Vaculík, Milan Kundera, Jan Procházka, Antonín Jaroslav Liehm, Pavel Kohout and Ivan Klíma.


title: Prague Spring

text: A few months later, at a meeting of Party leaders, it was decided that administrative actions against the writers who openly expressed support of reformation would be taken. Since only a small group of the union held these beliefs, the remaining members were relied upon to discipline their colleagues. Control over "Literární noviny" and several other publishers was transferred to the "Ministry of Culture", and even some leaders of the Party who later became major reformers—including Dubček—endorsed these moves.


title: Prague Spring

text: As President Antonín Novotný was losing support, Alexander Dubček, "First Secretary" of the Communist Party of Slovakia, and economist Ota Šik challenged him at a meeting of the "Central Committee" of the Party. Novotný then invited the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev, to Prague that December, seeking support; Brezhnev, however, was surprised at the extent of the opposition to Novotný and so he rather supported his removal. Dubček replaced Novotný as First Secretary on 5 January 1968. On 22 March Novotný resigned and was replaced by Ludvík Svoboda, who later gave consent to the reforms.


title: Prague Spring

text: Early signs of change were few. In an interview with KSČ Presidium member Josef Smrkovský published in the Party journal "Rudé Právo" with the title "What Lies Ahead", he insisted that Dubček's appointment at the January Plenum would further the goals of socialism and maintain the "working class" nature of the Party.


title: Prague Spring

text: However, right after Dubček assumed power, the scholar Eduard Goldstücker became chairman of the "Union of Czechoslovak Writers" and thus editor-in-chief of the "Literární noviny", which under Novotny had been filled with party loyalists. Goldstücker tested the boundaries of Dubček's devotion to freedom of the press when on 4 February he appeared in a television interview as the new head of the union. During the interview he openly criticized Novotny, exposing all of Novotny's previously unreported policies and explaining how they were preventing progress in Czechoslovakia.


title: Prague Spring

text: Goldstücker suffered no repercussions, Dubček instead began to build a sense of trust among the media, the government, and the citizens. It was under Goldstücker that the journal's name was changed to "Literární listy", and on 29 February, the Union published the first copy of the censor-free journal. By August, "Literární listy" had a circulation of 300,000, making it the most published periodical in Europe.


title: Prague Spring

text: At the 20th anniversary of Czechoslovakia's "Victorious February", Dubček delivered a speech explaining the need for change following the triumph of socialism. He emphasized the need to "enforce the leading role of the party more effectively" In April, Dubček launched an "Action Programme" of liberalizations, which included increasing freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement, with economic emphasis on consumer goods and the possibility of a multiparty government. The programme was based on the view that "Socialism cannot mean only liberation of the working people from the domination of exploiting class relations, but must make more provisions for a fuller life of the personality than any bourgeois democracy." It would limit the power of the secret police and provide for the federalization of the ČSSR into two equal nations. The programme also covered foreign policy, including both the maintenance of good relations with Western countries and cooperation with the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc nations. It spoke of a ten-year transition through which democratic elections would be made possible and a new form of democratic socialism would replace the status quo. Those who drafted the Action Programme were careful not to criticize the actions of the post-war Communist regime, only to point out policies that they felt had outlived their usefulness. Although it was stipulated that reform must proceed under KSČ direction, popular pressure mounted to implement reforms immediately. Radical elements became more vocal: anti-Soviet polemics appeared in the press on 26 June 1968, and new unaffiliated political clubs were created. Party conservatives urged repressive measures, but Dubček counselled moderation and re-emphasized KSČ leadership. At the Presidium of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in April, Dubček announced a political programme of "socialism with a human face". At the time of the Prague Spring, Czechoslovak exports were declining in competitiveness, and Dubček's reforms planned to solve these troubles by mixing planned and market economies. Dubček continued to stress the importance of economic reform proceeding under Communist Party rule.


title: Prague Spring

text: Freedom of the press opened the door for the first look at Czechoslovakia's past by Czechoslovakia's people. Many of the investigations centered on the country's history under communism, especially in the instance of the Stalinist-period. In another television appearance, Goldstücker presented both doctored and undoctored photographs of former communist leaders who had been purged, imprisoned, or executed and thus erased from communist history. The Writers' Union also formed a committee in April 1968, headed by the poet Jaroslav Seifert, to investigate the persecution of writers after the Communist takeover in February 1948 and rehabilitate the literary figures into the Union, bookstores and libraries, and the literary world. Discussions on the current state of communism and abstract ideas such as freedom and identity were also becoming more common; soon, non-party publications began appearing, such as the trade union daily "Práce" (Labour). This was also helped by the Journalists' Union, which by March 1968 had already persuaded the Central Publication Board, the government censor, to allow editors to receive uncensored subscriptions to foreign papers, allowing for a more international dialogue around the news.


title: Prague Spring

text: The press, the radio, and the television also contributed to these discussions by hosting meetings where students and young workers could ask questions of writers such as Goldstücker, Pavel Kohout, and Jan Procházka and political victims such as Josef Smrkovský, Zdeněk Hejzlar, and Gustáv Husák. Television also broadcast meetings between former political prisoners and the communist leaders from the secret police or prisons where they were held. Most importantly, this new self-called freedom and the introduction of television into the lives of everyday Czechoslovak citizens moved the political dialogue from the intellectual to the popular sphere.


title: Prague Spring

text: Initial reaction within the Communist Bloc was mixed. Hungary's János Kádár was highly supportive of Dubček's appointment in January, but Leonid Brezhnev and the hardliners grew concerned about the reforms, which they feared might weaken the position of the Bloc in the Cold War.


title: Prague Spring

text: At a meeting in Dresden, East Germany on 23 March, the leaders of the "Warsaw Five" (USSR, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and East Germany) questioned the Czechoslovak delegation over the planned reforms, suggesting any talk of "democratization" was a veiled criticism of the Soviet model. The Polish Party leader Władysław Gomułka and János Kádár were less concerned with the reforms themselves than with the growing criticisms levelled by the Czechoslovak media, and worried that the situation might be "similar to...the "Hungarian counterrevolution". Some of the language in the Action Programme may have been chosen to assert that no "counterrevolution" was planned, but Kieran Williams suggests that Dubček was perhaps surprised at, but not resentful of, Soviet suggestions.


title: Prague Spring

text: In May, the KGB initiated Operation Progress, which involved Soviet agents infiltrating Czechoslovak pro-democratic organizations, such as the Socialist and Christian Democrat parties.


title: Prague Spring

text: The Soviet leadership tried to stop, or at least limit, the changes in the ČSSR through a series of negotiations. The Soviet Union agreed to bilateral talks with Czechoslovakia in July at Čierna nad Tisou, near the Soviet border. At the meeting, from 29 July to 1 August, with attendance of Brezhnev, Alexei Kosygin, Nikolai Podgorny, Mikhail Suslov and others on the Soviet side and Dubček, Svoboda, Oldřich Černík, Smrkovský and others on the Czechoslovak side, Dubček defended the proposals of the KSČ's reformist wing while pledging commitment to the Warsaw Pact and Comecon. The KSČ leadership, however, was divided between vigorous reformers (Smrkovský, Černík, and František Kriegel) and hardliners (Vasil Biľak, Drahomír Kolder, and Oldřich Švestka) who adopted an anti-reformist stance.


title: Prague Spring

text: Brezhnev decided on compromise. The KSČ delegates reaffirmed their loyalty to the Warsaw Pact and promised to curb "anti-socialist" tendencies, prevent the revival of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party and control the press more effectively. The Soviets agreed to withdraw their armed forces still in Czechoslovakia after manoeuvres in June and permit the 9 September "Party Congress".


title: Prague Spring

text: On 3 August representatives from the "Warsaw Five" and Czechoslovakia met in Bratislava and signed the Bratislava Declaration. The declaration affirmed unshakable fidelity to Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, declared an implacable struggle against "bourgeois" ideology and all "anti-socialist" forces. The Soviet Union expressed its intention to intervene in any Warsaw Pact country if a "bourgeois" system—a pluralist system of several political parties representing different factions of the "capitalist classes"—was ever established. After the conference, the Soviet troops left Czechoslovak territory but remained along its borders.


title: Prague Spring

text: As these talks proved unsatisfactory, the Soviets began to consider a military alternative. The Soviet policy of compelling the socialist governments of its satellite states to subordinate their national interests to those of the Eastern Bloc (through military force if needed) became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine. On the night of 20–21 August, Eastern Bloc armies from four Warsaw Pact countries—the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary—invaded the ČSSR.


title: Prague Spring

text: That night, 200,000 troops and 2,000 tanks entered the country. They first occupied the Ruzyně International Airport, where air deployment of more troops was arranged. The Czechoslovak forces were confined to their barracks, which were surrounded until the threat of a counter-attack was assuaged. By the morning of 21 August Czechoslovakia was occupied.


title: Prague Spring

text: Romania and Albania refused to take part in the invasion. Soviet command refrained from drawing upon East German troops for fear of reviving memories of the Nazi invasion in 1938. During the invasion 72 Czechs and Slovaks were killed (19 of those in "Slovakia"), 266 severely wounded and another 436 slightly injured. Alexander Dubček called upon his people not to resist. Nevertheless, there was scattered resistance in the streets. Road signs in towns were removed or painted over—except for those indicating the way to Moscow. Many small villages renamed themselves "Dubcek" or "Svoboda"; thus, without navigational equipment, the invaders were often confused.


title: Prague Spring

text: On the night of the invasion the "Czechoslovak Presidium" declared that Warsaw Pact troops had crossed the border without the knowledge of the ČSSR government, but the Soviet Press printed an unsigned request—allegedly by Czechoslovak party and state leaders—for "immediate assistance, including assistance with armed forces". At the "14th KSČ Party Congress" (conducted secretly, immediately following the intervention), it was emphasized that no member of the leadership had invited the intervention. More recent evidence suggests that conservative KSČ members (including Biľak, Švestka, Kolder, Indra, and Kapek) did send a request for intervention to the Soviets. The invasion was followed by a previously unseen wave of emigration, which was stopped shortly thereafter. An estimated 70,000 citizens fled the country immediately with an eventual total of some 300,000.


title: Prague Spring

text: Until recently there was some uncertainty as to what provocation, if any, occurred to make the Warsaw Pact armies invade. Preceding the invasion was a rather calm period without any major events taking place in Czechoslovakia.


title: Prague Spring

text: In Czechoslovakia, especially in the week following the invasion, popular opposition was expressed in numerous spontaneous acts of nonviolent resistance. Civilians purposely gave wrong directions to invading soldiers, while others identified and followed cars belonging to the secret police. On 16 January 1969, student Jan Palach set himself on fire in Prague's Wenceslas Square to protest against the renewed suppression of free speech.


title: Prague Spring

text: The generalized resistance caused the Soviet Union to abandon its original plan to oust the First Secretary. Dubček, who had been arrested on the night of 20 August, was taken to Moscow for negotiations. There, under heavy psychological pressure from Soviet politicians, Dubček and all the highest-ranked leaders but František Kriegel signed the Moscow Protocol. It was agreed that Dubček would remain in office and a programme of moderate reform would continue.


title: Prague Spring

text: On 25 August citizens of the Soviet Union who did not approve of the invasion protested in Red Square; seven protesters opened banners with anti-invasion slogans. The demonstrators were brutally beaten and arrested by security forces, and later punished by a secret tribunal; the protest was dubbed "anti-Soviet" and several people were detained in psychiatric hospitals.


title: Prague Spring

text: A more pronounced effect took place in Romania, where Nicolae Ceaușescu, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party, already a staunch opponent of Soviet influences and a self-declared Dubček supporter, gave a public speech in Bucharest on the day of the invasion, depicting Soviet policies in harsh terms. Albania withdrew from the Warsaw Pact in opposition, calling the invasion an act of "social imperialism". In Finland, a country under some Soviet political influence, the occupation caused a major scandal.


title: Prague Spring

text: Like the Italian and French Communist parties, the majority of the Communist Party of Finland denounced the occupation. Nonetheless, Finnish president Urho Kekkonen was the very first Western politician to officially visit Czechoslovakia after August 1968; he received the highest Czechoslovakian honours from the hands of President Ludvík Svoboda, on 4 October 1969. The Portuguese communist secretary-general Álvaro Cunhal was one of few political leaders from western Europe to have supported the invasion for being counter-revolutionary. along with the Luxembourg party and conservative factions of the Greek party.


title: Prague Spring

text: Most countries offered only vocal criticism following the invasion. The night of the invasion, Canada, Denmark, France, Paraguay, the United Kingdom and the United States requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. At the meeting, the Czechoslovak ambassador Jan Mužík denounced the invasion. Soviet ambassador Jacob Malik insisted the Warsaw Pact actions were "fraternal assistance" against "antisocial forces".


title: Prague Spring

text: One of the nations that most vehemently condemned the invasion was China, which objected furiously to the so-called "Brezhnev Doctrine" that declared the Soviet Union alone had the right to determine what nations were properly Communist and could invade those Communist nations whose communism did not meet the Kremlin's approval. Mao Zedong saw the Brezhnev doctrine as the ideological basis for a Soviet invasion of China, and launched a massive propaganda campaign condemning the invasion of Czechoslovakia, despite his own earlier opposition to the Prague Spring. Speaking at a banquet at the Romanian embassy in Beijing on 23 August 1968, the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai denounced the Soviet Union for "fascist politics, great power chauvinism, national egoism and social imperialism", going on to compare the invasion of Czechoslovakia to the American war in Vietnam and more pointedly to the policies of Adolf Hitler towards Czechoslovakia in 1938–39. Zhou ended his speech with a barely veiled call for the people of Czechoslovakia to wage guerrilla war against the Red Army.


title: Prague Spring

text: The next day, several countries suggested a United Nations resolution condemning the intervention and calling for immediate withdrawal. Eventually, a UN vote was taken with ten members supporting the motion; Algeria, India, and Pakistan abstained; the USSR (with veto power) and Hungary opposed. Canadian delegates immediately introduced another motion asking for a UN representative to travel to Prague and work toward the release of the imprisoned Czechoslovak leaders.


title: Prague Spring

text: By 26 August a new Czechoslovak representative requested the whole issue be removed from the Security Council's agenda. Shirley Temple Black visited Prague in August 1968 to prepare for becoming the US Ambassador for a free Czechoslovakia. However, after the 21 August invasion she became part of a U.S. Embassy-organized convoy of vehicles that evacuated U.S. citizens from the country. In August 1989, she returned to Prague as U.S. Ambassador, three months before the Velvet Revolution that ended 41 years of Communist rule.


title: Prague Spring

text: In April 1969, Dubček was replaced as first secretary by Gustáv Husák, and a period of "normalization" began. Dubček was expelled from the KSČ and given a job as a forestry official.


title: Prague Spring

text: Husák reversed Dubček's reforms, purged the party of its liberal members, and dismissed from public office professional and intellectual elites who openly expressed disagreement with the political transformation. Husák worked to reinstate the power of the police and strengthen ties with the rest of the Communist bloc. He also sought to re-centralize the economy, as a considerable amount of freedom had been granted to industries during the Prague Spring. Commentary on politics was forbidden in mainstream media, and political statements by anyone not considered to have "full political trust" were also banned. The only significant change that survived was the federalization of the country, which created the Czech Socialist Republic and the Slovak Socialist Republic in 1969.


title: Prague Spring

text: In 1987, the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev acknowledged that his liberalizing policies of glasnost and perestroika owed a great deal to Dubček's "socialism with a human face". When asked what the difference was between the Prague Spring and Gorbachev's own reforms, a Foreign Ministry spokesman replied, "Nineteen years."


title: Prague Spring

text: Dubček lent his support to the Velvet Revolution of December 1989. After the collapse of the Communist regime that month, Dubček became chairman of the federal assembly under the Havel administration. He later led the Social Democratic Party of Slovakia, and spoke against the dissolution of Czechoslovakia before his death in November 1992.


title: Prague Spring

text: The Warsaw Pact invasion included attacks on media establishments, such as Radio Prague and Czechoslovak Television, almost immediately after the initial tanks rolled into Prague on 21 August 1968. While both the radio station and the television station managed to hold out for at least enough time for initial broadcasts of the invasion, what the Soviets did not attack by force they attacked by reenacting party censorship. In reaction to the invasion, on 28 August 1968, all Czechoslovak publishers agreed to halt production of newspapers for the day to allow for a "day of reflection" for the editorial staffs. Writers and reporters agreed with Dubcek to support a limited reinstitution of the censorship office, as long as the institution was to only last three months. Finally, by September 1968, the Czechoslovak Communist Party plenum was held to instate the new censorship law. In the words of the Moscow-approved resolution, "The press, radio, and television are first of all the instruments for carrying into life the policies of the Party and state."


title: Prague Spring

text: While that was not yet the end of the media's self-called freedom after the Prague Spring, it was the beginning of the end. During November, the Presidium, under Husak, declared that the Czechoslovak press could not make any negative remarks about the Soviet invaders or they would risk violating the agreement they had come to at the end of August. When the weeklies "Reporter" and "Politika" responded harshly to this threat, even going so far as to not so subtly criticize the Presidium itself in "Politika", the government banned "Reporter" for a month, suspended "Politika" indefinitely, and prohibited any political programs from appearing on the radio or television.


title: Prague Spring

text: The intellectuals were stuck at an impasse; they recognized the government's increasing normalization, but they were unsure whether to trust that the measures were only temporary or demand more. For example, still believing in Dubcek's promises for reform, Milan Kundera published the article "Cesky udel" (Our Czech Destiny) in "Literarni listy" on 19 December. He wrote: "People who today are falling into depression and defeatism, commenting that there are not enough guarantees, that everything could end badly, that we might again end up in a marasmus of censorship and trials, that this or that could happen, are simply weak people, who can live only in illusions of certainty."


title: Prague Spring

text: In March 1969, however, the new Soviet-backed Czechoslovakian government instituted full censorship, effectively ending the hopes that normalization would lead back to the freedoms enjoyed during the Prague Spring. A declaration was presented to the Presidium condemning the media as co-conspirators against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact in their support of Dubcek's liberalization measures. Finally, on 2 April 1969, the government adopted measures "to secure peace and order" through even stricter censorship, forcing the people of Czechoslovakia to wait until the thawing of Eastern Europe for the return of a free media.


title: Prague Spring

text: Former students from Prague, including Constantine Menges, and Czech refugees from the crisis, who were able to escape or resettle in Western Countries continued to advocate for human rights, religious liberty, freedom of speech and political asylum for Czech political prisoners and dissidents. Many raised concerns about the Soviet Union and Red Army's continued military occupation of Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism in Moscow and Eastern Europe.


title: Prague Spring

text: The Prague Spring deepened the disillusionment of many Western leftists with Soviet views. It contributed to the growth of Eurocommunist ideas in Western communist parties, which sought greater distance from the Soviet Union and eventually led to the dissolution of many of these groups.


title: Prague Spring

text: A decade later, a period of Chinese political liberalization became known as the Beijing Spring. It also partly influenced the Croatian Spring in Communist Yugoslavia. In a 1993 Czech survey, 60% of those surveyed had a personal memory linked to the Prague Spring while another 30% were familiar with the events in another form. The demonstrations and regime changes taking place in North Africa and the Middle East from December 2010 have frequently been referred to as an "Arab Spring".


title: Prague Spring

text: The event has been referenced in popular music, including the music of Karel Kryl, Luboš Fišer's "Requiem", and Karel Husa's "Music for Prague 1968".


title: Prague Spring

text: The Israeli song "Prague", written by Shalom Hanoch and performed by Arik Einstein at the Israel Song Festival of 1969, was a lamentation on the fate of the city after the Soviet invasion and mentions Jan Palach's Self-immolation.


title: Prague Spring

text: "They Can't Stop The Spring", a song by Irish journalist and songwriter John Waters, represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. Waters has described it as "a kind of Celtic celebration of the Eastern European revolutions and their eventual outcome", quoting Dubček's alleged comment: "They may crush the flowers, but they can't stop the Spring."


title: Prague Spring

text: "The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)", a song featured in the American-English singer-songwriter Scott Walker's fifth solo album Scott 4 also refers to the invasion.