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Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Czechoslovakia (Czech and Slovak: ?eskoslovensko; Slovak after 1990: ?esko-Slovensko) was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918 (upon declaring its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire) until 1992 (with a government-in-exile during the World War II period). On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Basic characteristicsForm of state:
Neighbors: Germany (1945–1990: BRD and DDR), Poland, from 1945 Soviet Union (1992: Ukraine), Romania (until 1939), Hungary, Austria Topography: Generally irregular terrain. Western area is part of north-central European uplands. Eastern region is composed of northern reaches of Carpathian Mountains and Danube River Basin lands. 
Czechoslovakia 1920-1938, physical Climate: Predominantly continental but varied from the moderate temperatures of Western Europe in the west to more severe weather systems affecting Eastern Europe and the western Soviet Union in the east. Official names
HistoryFoundationCzechoslovakia was founded in October 1918 as one of the successor states of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I. It consisted of the present-day territories of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia. Its territory included some of the most industrialized regions of the former Austria-Hungary. Although officially a "democratic" republic during the pre-World War II period, countless protests were filed to the League of Nations because of violation of minority rights in Czechoslovakia, mainly by Sudeten Germans who had become part of this state against their will. These protests due to violation of human rights of 3.5 Million Sudeten Germans remained however unanswered by the League of Nations, due to Edward Benes 's influence in the League of Nations. The Sudeten Germans had declared in 1918 they wanted to remain Austrian citizens but were forbidden to vote about their fate. Trusting in President Wilson 's proclaimed right to self-determination, the Sudeten Germans offered little resistence when Czech military occupied the Sudetenland and took the Sudetenland by military force and killed unarmed civilians in many Sudeten German cities who were demonstrating peacefully against the illegal occupation. Later on it was ratified as "legal" [1] [2] Thus, this newly created multi-ethnic state contained large portions of people who did not want to become part of this state. Also the Slovaks who were the second largest ethnic group after the Germans were dissatisfied with the political and economic dominance of the Czechs. Thus, neither the Sudeten Germans, nor the Hungarians or Slovaks of Czechoslovakia ever accepted this new multi-ethnic state, which was created on force rather than free will.
The official statement about constituent nations at the time was that there are no Czechs and Slovaks, but only one nation: Czechoslovaks (see Czechoslovakism). According to this idea was also old statistic from this era about population and nations in the country (see bellow). But not all people agreed with this ideology (mainly among Slovaks) and once a unified Czechoslovakia was restored after WWII (see dividing of the country during WWII) this idea was left behind and Czechoslovakia was a country of two nations - the Czechs and the Slovaks. 
Czechoslovakia 1930: linguistic
The original ethnic composition of the new state was 51% Czechs, 16% Slovaks, 22% Germans, 5% Hungarians and 4% Rusyns.[4] Many of the Germans, Hungarians, Ruthenians and Poles[5] and also some Slovaks, felt disadvantaged in Czechoslovakia, because the political elite of the country introduced a centralized state and most of the time did not allow political autonomy for the ethnic groups. This policy, combined with increasing Nazi propaganda especially in the industrialized German speaking Sudetenland, led to increasing unrest among the Non-Czech population. 
Czechoslovakia in 1928 World War II
Annexations of Czechoslovakia Following the War the ante bellum arrangement was restored, with the exception of Subcarpathian Ruthenia which was annexed by the Soviet Union as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union the territory passed to the hands of Ukraine where it remains today. Communist CzechoslovakiaAfter World War II, pre-war Czechoslovakia was reestablished, the so-called Bene? decrees concerned the expropriation of wartime "traitors" and collaborators accused of treason but also all ethnic Germans (see Potsdam Agreement) and Hungarians. They also ordered the removal of citizenship for people of German and Hungarian ethnic origin who decided to acquire the German and Hungarian citizenship during the occupation. (These provisions were cancelled for the Hungarians, but not for the Germans, in 1948). This was then used to confiscate their property and expel around 90% of the ethnic German population of Czechoslovakia, over 2 million people. The people who remained were collectively accused of supporting the Nazis (after the Munich Agreement, in December 1938, 97.32% of adult Sudetengermans voted for NSDAP in elections). Almost every decree explicitly stated that the sanctions did not apply to anti-fascists although the term Anti-fascist was not explicitly defined. Some 250,000 Germans, many married to Czechs, some anti-fascists, but also people required for the post-war reconstruction of the country remained in Czechoslovakia. The Benes Decrees still cause controversy between nationalist groups in Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Hungary.[6] Carpathian Ruthenia was occupied by (and in June 1945 formally ceded to) the Soviet Union. In 1946 parliamentary election the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia emerged as the winner in the Czech lands (the Democratic Party won in Slovakia). In February 1948 the Communists seized power. Although they would maintain the fiction of political pluralism through the existence of the National Front, except for a short period in the late 1960s (the Prague Spring) the country was characterised by the absence of liberal democracy. While its economy remained more advanced than those of its neighbours in Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia grew increasingly economically weak relative to Western Europe. In the religious sphere, atheism was officially promoted and taught. In 1968, in response to a brief period of liberalization, five Eastern Bloc countries invaded Czechoslovakia. Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev viewed this intervention as vital to the preservation of the Soviet, socialist system and vowed to intervene in any state that sought to replace Marxism-Leninism with capitalism.[7] In 1969, Czechoslovakia was turned into a federation of the Czech Socialist Republic and Slovak Socialist Republic. Under the federation, social and economic inequities between the Czech and Slovak halves of the state were largely eliminated. A number of ministries, such as Education, were formally transferred to the two republics. However, the centralized political control by the Communist Party severely limited the effects of federalization. The 1970s saw the rise of the dissident movement in Czechoslovakia, represented (among others) by Václav Havel. The movement sought greater political participation and expression in the face of official disapproval, making itself felt by limits on work activities (up to a ban on any professional employment and refusal of higher education to the dissidents' children), police harassment and even prison time. After 1989In 1989 the country became democratic again through the Velvet Revolution. This occurred at around the same time as the fall of communism in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland. Within three years communist rule had been totally eradicated from Europe. Unlike Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, the end of communism in this country did not automatically mean the end of the "communist" name: the word "socialist" was removed from the name on March 29, 1990, and replaced by "federal". In 1992, because of growing nationalist tensions, Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved by parliament. Its territory became the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which were formally created on January 1, 1993. Heads of state and government
International agreements and membershipAfter WWII, active participant in Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon), Warsaw Pact, United Nations and its specialized agencies; signatory of conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe Administrative divisions
Population and ethnic groupsPolitics
After WWII, monopoly on politics held by Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Gustáv Husák elected first secretary of KSC in 1969 (changed to general secretary in 1971) and president of Czechoslovakia in 1975. Other parties and organizations existed but functioned in subordinate roles to KSC. All political parties, as well as numerous mass organizations, grouped under umbrella of the National Front. Human rights activists and religious activists severely repressed. Constitutional developmentCzechoslovakia had the following constitutions throughout its history (1918 – 1992):
EconomyAfter WWII, economy centrally planned with command links controlled by communist party, similar to Soviet Union. Large metallurgical industry but dependent on imports for iron and nonferrous ores.
Resource baseAfter WWII, country energy short, relying on imported crude oil and natural gas from Soviet Union, domestic brown coal, and nuclear and hydroelectric energy. Energy constraints a major factor in 1980s. Transportation and communicationsSociety and social groupsEducationEducation free at all levels and compulsory from age six to fifteen. Vast majority of population literate. Highly developed system of apprenticeship training and vocational schools supplemented general secondary schools and institutions of higher education. ReligionIn 1991: Roman Catholics 46.4%, Evangelic Lutheran 5.3%, Atheist 29.5%, n/a 16.7%, but there were huge differences between the 2 constituent republics – see Czech Republic and Slovakia Health, social welfare and housingAfter WWII, free health care was available to all citizens. National health planning emphasized preventive medicine; factory and local health-care centers supplemented hospitals and other inpatient institutions. There became substantial improvement in rural health care during the 1960s and 1970s. Mass mediaThe mass media in Czechoslovakia was controlled by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KS?). Private ownership of any publication or agency of the mass media was generally forbidden, although churches and other organizations published small periodicals and newspapers. Even with this informational monopoly in the hands of organizations under KS? control, all publications were reviewed by the government's Office for Press and Information. SportsThe Czechoslovakia national football team was a consistent performer in the international scene, with 8 appearances in the FIFA World Cup Finals, finishing in second-place in 1934 and 1962. The team also won the European Football Championship in 1976 and came in third in 1980. The Czechoslovak national ice hockey team won many medals from the world championships and Olympic games. Emil Zátopek, winner of four Olympic gold medals in athletics, is considered one of the top athletes in history. The famous tennis players Ivan Lendl, Miloslav Me?í?, Daniela Hantuchová and Martina Navrátilová were born in Czechoslovakia. CulturePostage stampsFrom creation to dissolution?overviewReferencesSee also
External links
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