Czechoslovakia | History, Map, & Facts

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<div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Czechoslovakia">Czechoslovakia</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Czechoslovakia/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Czechoslovakia">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Czechoslovakia/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/84/105684-050-36FF9543/Czechoslovakia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/144914" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/84/105684-004-8F548719/Czechoslovakia.jpg" alt="Czechoslovakia" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/28597-004-588192FD/Edvard-Benes.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/21176" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/28597-004-588192FD/Edvard-Benes.jpg" alt="Edvard Beneš" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/25358-004-3CA579A1/Tomas-Masaryk-painting-Vojtech-Hynais-Narodni-Galerie-1919.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/28718" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/25358-004-3CA579A1/Tomas-Masaryk-painting-Vojtech-Hynais-Narodni-Galerie-1919.jpg" alt="Tomáš Masaryk" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/62009-050-F80C06E5/Alexander-Dubcek-April-28-1969.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/52219" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/62009-004-D2601400/Alexander-Dubcek-April-28-1969.jpg" alt="Alexander Dubček" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/61239-050-2ECF086D/troops-Czechs-Soviet-Prague-forces-Czechoslovakia-reform-August-21-1968.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/115497" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/61239-004-92839527/troops-Czechs-Soviet-Prague-forces-Czechoslovakia-reform-August-21-1968.jpg" alt="Soviet invasion of Prague" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/196759-050-F2C08A9A/Vaclav-Havel.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/227394" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/196759-004-6243C1E3/Vaclav-Havel.jpg" alt="Václav Havel" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn 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(1918–92).</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Czechoslovakia</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">historical nation, Europe</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="149153"> <button class="js-tooltip btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border pr-10 border-2" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="more_vert"></em> More Actions </button> 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://history.state.gov/countries/czechoslovakia" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">United States Department of State - Office of the Historian - A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Czechoslovakia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CC%5CZ%5CCzechoslovakia.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine - Czechoslovakia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/cz-history-ww2.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">GlobalSecurity.org - Czechoslovakia in World War II</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://encyclopedia.yivo.org/article/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe - Czechoslovakia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">CRW Flags - Flag of Czechoslovakia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/crumbling_of_empires_and_emerging_states_czechoslovakia_and_yugoslavia_as_multinational_countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">1914-1918-Online - Crumbling of Empires and Emerging States: Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia as (Multi)national Countries</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/who-lost-czechoslovakia" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">History Today - Who Lost Czechoslovakia?</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/czechoslovakia" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Holocaust Encyclopedia - Czechoslovakia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/czechoslovakia" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Jewish Virtual Library - Czechoslovakia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://uca.edu/politicalscience/home/research-projects/dadm-project/europerussiacentral-asia-region/czechoslovakia-1918-1992/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">University of Central Arkansas - Political Science - Czechoslovakia (1918-1992)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://spartacus-educational.com/2WWczech.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Spartacus Educational - Czechoslovakia</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Česká a Slovenská Federativní Republika, Česká a Slovenská Federativna Republika, Československo, Czech and Slovak Federal Republic</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-25T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 25, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Czechoslovakia/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Czech and Slovak: </dt> <dd>Československo</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Date: </dt> <dd>1918 - 1993</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Major Events: </dt> <dd><a href="/event/World-War-II" topicid="648813">World War II</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Prague-Spring" topicid="473793">Prague Spring</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Munich-Agreement" topicid="397522">Munich Agreement</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Helsinki-Accords" topicid="260615">Helsinki Accords</a></dd> <dd><a href="/event/Warsaw-Pact" topicid="636142">Warsaw Pact</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Sigmund-Freud" topicid="219848">Sigmund Freud</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Rainer-Maria-Rilke" topicid="503783">Rainer Maria Rilke</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Edmund-Husserl" topicid="277553">Edmund Husserl</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Kurt-Godel" topicid="236770">Kurt Godel</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Tomas-Masaryk" topicid="367736">Tomas Masaryk</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Comecon" topicid="399860">Comecon</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Kosice-government" topicid="322701">Košice government</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Little-Entente" topicid="344056">Little Entente</a></dd> <dd><a href="/money/International-Investment-Bank" topicid="290981">International Investment Bank</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Places: </dt> <dd><a href="/place/Bohemia" topicid="71528">Bohemia</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Moravia" topicid="391877">Moravia</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Czechoslovakia"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> <button class="facts-list-show-more-btn mt-15 p-0 mx-auto btn font-14 d-block font-weight-normal"> <span class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></span> <span class="show-more-label">Show More</span> </button> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1007446"></span>Czechoslovakia</strong>, former <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nation-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">country</a> in central <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Europe</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="encompassing" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encompassing" data-type="MW">encompassing</a> the historical lands of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bohemia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bohemia</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Moravia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Moravia</a>, and Slovakia. Czechoslovakia was formed from several provinces of the collapsing empire of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Austria-Hungary" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Austria-Hungary</a> in 1918, at the end of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War I</a>. In the interwar period it became the most prosperous and politically stable state in eastern Europe. It was occupied by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nazi-Party" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nazi</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Germany</a> in 1938–45 and was under <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Soviet-Union" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Soviet</a> domination from 1948 to 1989. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia separated peacefully into two new countries, the <span id="ref1230956"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Czech-Republic" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Czech Republic</a> and <span id="ref1230957"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Slovakia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Slovakia</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">A brief treatment of the history of Czechoslovakia follows. For full treatment, including a discussion of the region prior to 1918, <em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Czechoslovak-history" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Czechoslovak history</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="21176" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/28597-004-588192FD/Edvard-Benes.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/149153/21176"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/28597-004-588192FD/Edvard-Benes.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/28597-004-588192FD/Edvard-Benes.jpg?w=300" alt="Edvard Beneš" data-width="322" data-height="450" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/28597-004-588192FD/Edvard-Benes.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/21176">Edvard Beneš</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The political union of Czechs and Slovaks after World War I was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="feasible" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feasible" data-type="MW">feasible</a> because the two ethnic groups are closely related in language, religion, and general <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a>. An independent Czechoslovak state was declared by <span id="ref1230958"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tomas-Masaryk" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tomáš Masaryk</a>, <span id="ref1230959"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edvard-Benes" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Edvard Beneš</a>, and other leaders on October 28, 1918, and was quickly recognized by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/France" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">France</a> and other <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Allied-Powers-international-alliance" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Allied</a> opponents of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Austria" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Austria</a>. Bohemia and Moravia, populated by Czechs, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constituted" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constituted" data-type="MW">constituted</a> its western portion, while Slovakia occupied the eastern portion. Czechs and Slovaks together accounted for roughly two-thirds of the new country’s population; other nationalities within the state’s borders included Germans, Hungarians, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rusyn-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ruthenians</a>, and Poles.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-read-more-module" href="/place/Czech-Republic#ref938785" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/7886-050-9D2D04BC/Flag-Czech-Republic.jpg" alt="Czech Republic" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-navy-dark">More From Britannica</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Czech Republic</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="28718" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/25358-004-3CA579A1/Tomas-Masaryk-painting-Vojtech-Hynais-Narodni-Galerie-1919.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/149153/28718"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/25358-004-3CA579A1/Tomas-Masaryk-painting-Vojtech-Hynais-Narodni-Galerie-1919.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/25358-004-3CA579A1/Tomas-Masaryk-painting-Vojtech-Hynais-Narodni-Galerie-1919.jpg?w=300" alt="Tomáš Masaryk" data-width="214" data-height="300" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/25358-004-3CA579A1/Tomas-Masaryk-painting-Vojtech-Hynais-Narodni-Galerie-1919.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/28718">Tomáš Masaryk</a><span>Tomáš Masaryk, painting by Vojtěch Hynais, 1919; in the Národní Galerie, Prague.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Under the leadership of Masaryk, who served as president from 1918 to 1935, Czechoslovakia became a stable <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/parliamentary-system" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">parliamentary democracy</a> and the most industrially advanced country in eastern Europe. But after the rise to power of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Hitler" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Adolf Hitler</a> in Germany in 1933, the significant German minority in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudetenland" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sudetenland</a> of western Czechoslovakia began to lean toward Hitler’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Nazism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">National Socialism</a>. With the acquiescence of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Britain</a> and France, Hitler annexed the German-speaking Sudeten areas of Czechoslovakia in 1938. By 1939 Germany had occupied all of Bohemia and Moravia and turned the two regions into a German protectorate. Slovakia received <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="nominal" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominal" data-type="MW">nominal</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="autonomy" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autonomy" data-type="MW">autonomy</a>, though it was dominated by Germany.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="52219" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/62009-050-F80C06E5/Alexander-Dubcek-April-28-1969.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/149153/52219"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/62009-050-F80C06E5/Alexander-Dubcek-April-28-1969.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/62009-050-F80C06E5/Alexander-Dubcek-April-28-1969.jpg?w=300" alt="Alexander Dubček" data-width="1184" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/62009-050-F80C06E5/Alexander-Dubcek-April-28-1969.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/52219">Alexander Dubček</a><span>Alexander Dubček, April 28, 1969.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The liberation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a> helped <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="bolster" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolster" data-type="MW">bolster</a> the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/communist-party-politics" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Communist Party</a> while hindering the numerous other parties that emerged. Clever maneuvering and unfailing support from the Soviet Union enabled the Communists to stage a virtual <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/coup-detat" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">coup d’état</a> in 1948, and a people’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/republic-government" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">republic</a> was formed. Gradually, with Soviet supervision, internal opposition was crushed while the country’s industry was nationalized and its agriculture was collectivized.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="115497" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/61239-050-2ECF086D/troops-Czechs-Soviet-Prague-forces-Czechoslovakia-reform-August-21-1968.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/149153/115497"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/61239-050-2ECF086D/troops-Czechs-Soviet-Prague-forces-Czechoslovakia-reform-August-21-1968.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/61239-050-2ECF086D/troops-Czechs-Soviet-Prague-forces-Czechoslovakia-reform-August-21-1968.jpg?w=300" alt="Soviet invasion of Prague" data-width="1600" data-height="1185" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/61239-050-2ECF086D/troops-Czechs-Soviet-Prague-forces-Czechoslovakia-reform-August-21-1968.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/115497">Soviet invasion of Prague</a><span>Czechoslovaks confronting Soviet troops in Prague, August 21, 1968. Soviet forces had invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the reform movement known as the Prague Spring.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In the 1960s a progressively deteriorating economy discredited the government and led to grudgingly granted, and limited, reforms. When these failed, the Communist Party’s leadership passed to the Slovak first secretary, <span id="ref1230960"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Dubcek" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Alexander Dubček</a>, in January 1968. He instituted a more openly reformist program, “socialism with a human face,” that encouraged non-Communists to participate in government and restored a number of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/civil-liberty" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">civil liberties</a>. The brief period of liberalization became known as the <span id="ref1230962"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Prague-Spring" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Prague Spring</a>. In August 1968, however, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Warsaw-Pact" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Warsaw Pact</a> troops invaded the country and seized Dubček, transporting him to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Moscow" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Moscow</a>. Upon his return to Czechoslovakia, Dubček saw his reforms rolled back, and hard-line communists restored the country to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="conformity" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/conformity" data-type="EB">conformity</a> with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-bloc" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Soviet-bloc</a> norms.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="227394" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/196759-050-F2C08A9A/Vaclav-Havel.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/149153/227394"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/196759-050-F2C08A9A/Vaclav-Havel.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/196759-050-F2C08A9A/Vaclav-Havel.jpg?w=300" alt="Václav Havel" data-width="1226" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/196759-050-F2C08A9A/Vaclav-Havel.jpg" data-href="/media/1/149153/227394">Václav Havel</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The country’s new Communist leaders concentrated on making the state-run economy more productive while also stifling internal political dissent. Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and ’80s was thus one of the more prosperous but also one of the more repressive countries in eastern Europe. In late 1989, however, a wave of democratization swept through eastern Europe with the encouragement of the leader of the Soviet Union, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mikhail-Gorbachev" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mikhail Gorbachev</a>. Czechoslovakia’s Communist leadership found itself confronted by mass demonstrations in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Prague" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Prague</a> opposed to its policies, and the party soon gave in to the demands for reform. In December the Communists formed a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/coalition-government" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">coalition government</a> with non-Communist opposition groups. A multiparty <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-system" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">political system</a> was written into law, the writer and former <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="dissident" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/dissident" data-type="EB">dissident</a> <span id="ref1230961"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vaclav-Havel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Václav Havel</a> became the country’s new president, and free elections to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bundestag" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Federal Assembly</a> were held in June 1990, with non-Communists winning resounding majorities.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">With the end of Communist rule and the reemergence of true multiparty <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/democracy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">democracy</a> (the so-called <span id="ref1230964"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Velvet-Revolution" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Velvet Revolution</a>), disagreements between the two halves of the country escalated. In particular, Slovaks resisted the Czechs’ preference for rapid privatization of the country’s state-run industries. The results of parliamentary elections in June 1992 highlighted these differences, and talks between Czech and Slovak leaders later that year resulted in the peaceful dissolution of the Czechoslovak federation. As part of the so-called <span id="ref1230963"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Velvet-Divorce" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Velvet Divorce</a>, two new countries were created, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on January 1, 1993.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/Patricia-Bauer/3520770">Patricia Bauer</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":149153,"pageLength":726,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Czechoslovakia | History, Map, & Facts | Britannica