|
|
|
CZECH HISTORY
|
|
Czechoslovakia, a former republic in central Europe, was in existence from 1918 until 1993 when Czechoslovakia ceased to exist and the Czech Republic and Slovakia emerged as two independent nations.
During World War I , Czech nationalist leaders TOMAS GARRIGUE MASARYK and EDVARD BENES formed a provisional government for a Czecho-Slovak republic with the support of Slovak leaders including MILAN STEFANIK and allied powers. The republic of Czechoslovakia was established at Prague immediately after the war, October 18, 1918. Czechoslovakia's main cultural triumphs took place primarily in the middle ages and after the 18th century. In the following centuries control by Germany resulted in the suppression of native achievements and this forced many of the artist, musicians and philosophers to live abroad. The combination of inner weakness and external threat ultimately destroyed the first Czechoslovak republic. The second Czechoslovak Republic (1938-1939) lasted only six months. Czech resistance during World War II was rather passive. In 1943 they signed a 20-year treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union. In the third Czechoslovak republic (1945-1948) the communists , with Soviet Backing, rapidly increased their political power over the people. In mid-1947 the communists' strength began to weaken. The communists' reacted by attempting to assassinate prominent opponents and also with packing the police force with their own followers. Many non-communist leaders were fearful of a civil war so they appointed a new government dominated by communists and their allies. Things remained this way until the beginning of 1968, referred to as the "Prague Spring". This is the beginning of the revolution. A new regime set about liberalizing and democratizing Czechoslovak life and also to loosen the country's association with the USSR. New "action programs" guaranteed freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion. This evoked only hostility from the Soviet Union. On August 20, 1968 responded to the right-wing counterrevolution, close to 600,000 Soviet, East German, Polish, Hungarian, and Bulgarian troops invaded and occupied the country. Some of the reform leaders were abducted by the Soviets. Although about 25 Czechs and Slovaks were killed, resistance was greatly nonviolent. The reforms of the "Prague spring" were almost entirely scrapped by the end of 1969. The reformers were punished, and again Czechoslovakia became a tightly controlled, orthodox Communist state and a loyal supporter of the USSR. Although there was little opposition to the new regime, underground resistance developed during the 1970's. In 1977 several hundred individuals signed a document charging the government with basic violations of human rights, this became known as Charter 77. The regime responded by imprisoning and exiling many of the underground movements leaders, this provoked protests from abroad. The opposition was hurt but not eliminated. This was the beginning of the Velvet Revolution.
|
