Czech History (2)

Czechoslovakia

The First World War began on July 28 1914. Czechs had to fight in the Austro-Hungarian army. A small number of Czechs took part in the fighting on the opposite side, these were the so-called Czechoslovak Legions, which were recruited from former emigrants, prisoners of war and defectors.

In 1918, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created. Czechs and Slovaks are closely related in language, religion, and general culture. The first president of Czechoslovakia was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, who served as president from 1918 to 1935. Under his leadership Czechoslovakia became a stable parliamentary democracy and the most industrially advanced country in eastern Europe.

The new nation had a population of over 13.5 million. Many inhabitans in the country were Germans. After the rise to power of Adolf Hitler in Germany in 1933, the significant German minority in the Sudetenland of western Czechoslovakia began to lean toward Hitler’s National Socialism. In 1938, the Munich Agreement (or Betrayal), celebrated by most of Europe, deprived Czechoslovakia of the Sudetenland.

The Second World War started on the 1st September 1939 when Germany (ruled by Adolf Hitler) invaded Poland. The Czech territory was occupied by Germany, which transformed it into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The protectorate was proclaimed part of the Third Reich and the president and prime minister were subordinated to the Nazi Germany's Reichsprotektor. There was Czechoslovak resistance to Nazi occupation as well as reprisals against the Czechoslovaks for their anti-Nazi resistance. The German occupation ended on 9 May 1945, with the arrival of the Soviet and American armies and the Prague Uprising.

After the Second World War, the situation in the Czech Republic was really difficult. There were still some democratic political parties, but the influence of communism grew. The main reason definitely was that it was The Soviet Union who (officially) liberated the country in WW2.

In February 1948 the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia assumed control over the government of Czechoslovakia. 12 ministers of non-communist parties resigned. President Beneš, who didn´t want to sign the new Constitution, resigned in May and the leader of the Communist Party Klement Gottwald became the new president. In May 1948 elections were held in an atmosphere of fear. The Communists had all power in their hands.

The Communists began building socialism in the country according to the Soviet model. Fundamental freedoms and the rights of the people were suppressed. People couldn't express their opinion. Borders were closed and censorship was established. Private property was abolished, and everything was owned by the state. The country’s industry was nationalized and its agriculture was collectivized.

State security persecuted all those who opposed the regime. Forced labor camps were set up. A trial with Milada Horáková took place here. She was doomed for her opinions against the Soviet Union. She was the only female executed in lawsuit.