Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

Czechoslovakia: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

News •

Czechia: After decades of neglect, Prague honours Roma resistance fighters against Hitler • Oct. 25, 2026, 3:31 PM ET (Deutsche Welle)
Saved from Nazi-occupied Prague, thousands of Torah scrolls find new life through a Satmar scribe • Oct. 16, 2026, 12:12 PM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Facts

Also Known As Czech and Slovak Federal Republic • Česká a Slovenská Federativní Republika • Československo • Česká a Slovenská Federativna Republika
Date 1918 - 1993

Photos

Map of former Czechoslovakia showing international boundaries, regional divisions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia, major cities such as Prague, Brno, Bratislava, and Kosice, and key physical features including the Sudeten Mountains, Carpathian Mountains, and major rivers. Surrounding countries-Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine-are labeled.
Edvard Beneš
Tomáš Masaryk
Alexander Dubcek, wearing a suit and glasses, speaks at a podium with microphones during his inauguration as Speaker of Czechoslovakia's Federal Assembly in 1969.
Soviet invasion of Prague
Vaclav Havel stands at Wawel Castle in Krakow, wearing a red sweater and dark jacket, holding a book with his portrait on the cover.
See All Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Major Events

World War II: Germany invading Poland
World War II
Soviet invasion of Prague
Prague Spring
Munich Agreement: Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Neville Chamberlain
Munich Agreement
Vaclav Havel stands at Wawel Castle in Krakow, wearing a red sweater and dark jacket, holding a book with his portrait on the cover.
Velvet Divorce
default image
Helsinki Accords
Map of Europe in 1960 during the Cold War, showing countries color-coded by political alignment: NATO members in green across Western Europe, Warsaw Pact countries in orange in Eastern Europe, and non-aligned nations in beige. The Soviet Union and its allies are grouped to the east, while Western European countries are aligned with the United States.
Warsaw Pact
Leonid Brezhnev
Brezhnev Doctrine
default image
Treaty of Trianon
Vaclav Havel stands at Wawel Castle in Krakow, wearing a red sweater and dark jacket, holding a book with his portrait on the cover.
Velvet Revolution
default image
Treaty of Saint-Germain

Related Places

Český Krumlov
Bohemia
historical region, Europe
Great Moravia
Moravia
historical region, Europe

Key People

Edmund Husserl
Edmund Husserl
German philosopher
Kurt Gödel
Kurt Gödel
American mathematician
Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Masaryk
president of Czechoslovakia
Charles IV
Charles IV
Holy Roman emperor
Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Czech-born director
Rudolf Vrba
Rudolf Vrba
Slovak-Jewish biochemist
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in a suit and striped tie stands outdoors, looking to the side.
Robert Fico
prime minister of Slovakia
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
American actress and diplomat
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš
president of Czechoslovakia
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright
Czech-born American public official
default image
Max Wertheimer
Czech-born psychologist
Andrej Babiš
Andrej Babiš
Czech politician and businessman
Martina Hingis stands on a tennis court in a white tennis outfit and visor, smiling and looking upward after her win at the 2001 Acura Classic.
Martina Hingis
Swiss tennis player
Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera
Czech writer
sculpture of Andrej Hlinka
Andrej Hlinka
Slovak priest and politician
Vaclav Havel stands at Wawel Castle in Krakow, wearing a red sweater and dark jacket, holding a book with his portrait on the cover.
Václav Havel
president of Czech Republic
Rupert, detail of a painting from the studio of Sir Peter Lely, c. 1670; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
Prince Rupert
English commander
Jerome of Prague
Jerome of Prague
Czech philosopher
default image
G.W. Pabst
German director
Karel Čapek, 1938.
Karel Čapek
Czech writer