Czechoslovak history

Introduction
The historical regions to 1918
- Origins and early history
  - Bohemia
  - Moravia
  - Slovakia
- The Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia (895–1306)
- The late Middle Ages (1306–1526)
  - The Luxembourg dynasty
  - The Hussite wars
  - The Hussite preponderance
  - The Jagiellonian kings
- Habsburg rule (1526–1918)
  - Religious tensions in Bohemia
  - The Counter-Reformation and Protestant rebellion
  - Re-Catholicization and absolutist rule
  - National awakening and the rise of constitutionalism
  - National turmoil under the dual monarchy
  - Struggle for independence
Czechoslovakia (1918–92)
- Czechoslovakia to 1945
  - The establishment of the republic
  - The crisis of German nationalism
  - The breakup of the republic
  - World War II
- Communist Czechoslovakia
  - The provisional regime
  - Stalinism in Czechoslovakia
  - The growing reform movement
  - The Prague Spring of 1968
  - “Normalization” and political dissidence
  - Velvet Revolution and Velvet Divorce

References & Edit History

Images

Saints Cyril and Methodius

Aerial view of Saint Barbara's Cathedral with its distinctive spires, surrounded by greenery and historic buildings in Kutna Hora, Czech Republic.

John of Luxembourg

Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral illuminated at dusk, with the castle complex rising above surrounding buildings and trees in Prague, Czech Republic.

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic, features tall Gothic spires, ornate stonework, and a large central tower, with people gathered in the open square below.

Illustration of the Council of Constance showing the king, queen, Sigismund, and Pope Martin V kneeling in prayer with other clergy, all in ornate medieval robes and headdresses.

Czechoslovak history: Media

Images

Saints Cyril and Methodius

Saints Cyril and Methodius

Saints Cyril and Methodius, mural by Zahari Zograf, 1848; in the Troyan Monastery,...

Aerial view of Saint Barbara's Cathedral with its distinctive spires, surrounded by greenery and historic buildings in Kutna Hora, Czech Republic.

Kutná Hora

Aerial view of the Cathedral of St. Barbara in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic.

© Daliu/stock.adobe.com

Wenceslas II

Wenceslas II

Wenceslas II, 14th-century manuscript illumination; in the Heidelberg University...

Archivo Iconografico, S.A./Corbis

John of Luxembourg

John of Luxembourg

John of Luxembourg, 14th-century silver denier of John as count of Luxembourg; in...

Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum

Charles IV

Charles IV

Charles IV, portrait bust by Petr Parléř, 14th century; in the triforium of St. Vitus's...

Foto Marburg

Prague

Prague

Prague.

© Goodshoot/Jupiterimages

Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral illuminated at dusk, with the castle complex rising above surrounding buildings and trees in Prague, Czech Republic.

Prague: Hradčany

Hradčany Castle, Prague.

© Ivo Brezina/Shutterstock.com

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic, features tall Gothic spires, ornate stonework, and a large central tower, with people gathered in the open square below.

Prague: St. Vitus's Cathedral

St. Vitus's Cathedral, Prague.

© Mikhail Markovskiy/Shutterstock.com

Illustration of the Council of Constance showing the king, queen, Sigismund, and Pope Martin V kneeling in prayer with other clergy, all in ornate medieval robes and headdresses.

Council of Constance

Depiction of the Council of Constance (1414–18).

Photos.com/Getty Images Plus

Jan Hus

Jan Hus

Jan Hus at the stake, colored woodcut from a Hussite prayer book, 1563.

The Granger Collection, New York

Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I, engraving by Barthel Beham, 1531

Archiv für Kunst und Geschichte, Berlin

Historical map of Central Europe showing territorial changes resulting from the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 at the end of the Thirty Years' War. Areas transferred to Sweden, Brandenburg, Transylvania, Saxony, France, the United Provinces, Bavaria, and Poland are color-coded. The map also marks the boundary of the Holy Roman Empire, key battle sites, and the route of Gustavus Adolphus's campaign from 1631 to 1632. Major cities, rivers, and neighboring countries such as France, Poland, Sweden, and

Europe after the Thirty Years' War, 1648

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Leopold I

Leopold I

Leopold I, detail of a portrait bust, c. 1700; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Courtesy of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Engraved portrait of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria seated, wearing a dark gown with lace sleeves, a head covering, and a star-shaped medal on her chest.

Maria Theresa

Maria Theresa, empress of Austria.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Edvard Beneš

Edvard Beneš

Edvard Beneš.

Office of War Information photograph collection—Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (fsa 8e00866)

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.

Czechoslovakia

Map of Czechoslovakia (1918–92).

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Tomáš Masaryk

Tomáš Masaryk

Tomáš Masaryk, painting by Vojtěch Hynais, 1919; in the Národní Galerie, Prague.

Courtesy of the National Gallery, Prague

Masaryk, Jan

Masaryk, Jan

A memorial to Jan Masaryk in Prague.

Petr Kadlec

Suppression of the Prague Spring, 1968

Suppression of the Prague Spring, 1968

Soviet troops entering Prague in August 1968 to suppress the Prague Spring reform...

© Shutterstock.com

Soviet invasion of Prague

Soviet invasion of Prague

Czechoslovaks confronting Soviet troops in Prague, August 21, 1968. Soviet forces...

Libor Hajsky—CTK/AP Images

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.

Alexander Dubček

Alexander Dubček, April 28, 1969.

Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images